Into Hostile Knowledge
by Kubla Khun
Summary: A failing grade leads two enemy's together but everything is not as it seems. Can a person truly be saved? Can two people fight against an eternal hatred? *COMPLETE*
1. A Proposition

The sun shone down so bright that it hurt her eyes.

Squinting, she tried in vain to make out across the overly bright hall Professor Flitwick's short form. He had asked her to come and meet him after class to talk about something. He seemed a little uneasy when he had spoken to her and she had to admit her curiosity had been peaked.

Hermione was startled as she heard his gruff perky voice from directly beside her. "Thank you very much, Hermione dear, for meeting me." He smiled weakly, sat down and spoke again with a more serious tone. "I hope you know that you are the brightest student I have seen in many years, as shown by your exceptional and flawless record."  
She beamed. "But," he continued, "The task that I have set for you may prove to be more then you can handle."

Hermione was indignant as she spoke up.  
"I think I could be more then capable with most anything I set my mind too." Her thoughts floated to Divination class with a slight frown.

"And even if it proves to be too much I would at least like to try."  
Flitwick smiled an almost sad and humorless smile. "I do not doubt you in the least. I welcome your enthusiasm gladly, I just do not want you to get your hopes up about it."

Hermione sighed and said, "Well what is it you want me to do? I promise to try my hardest."

He scratched his knobby chin. "I have a student who badly needs tutoring but may be a little against the idea." Flitwick looked uneasy.

Hermione's ears perked up. "I love tutoring and I know I am a little more excited by troll history and levitation mathematics then the average student but I would be more then happy to."

Flitwick heaved himself off the Gryffindor bench with a grunt and a sigh, and said thank you and to meet him in his office after school the following day, before leaving to his classroom.

Hermione grinned contentedly into her open books as she thought about her newest challenge.

Things had been a little dull of late. Although she did get to hang out with Ron and Harry who were up to their usual mischief at the moment, she always felt a little left out being the girl and having such a consuming passion for the excellence in academics. Not that she considered herself above anyone; she just had a great passion for knowledge and academic achievement.

Now she would be able to put her eagerness with learning to a good use.

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P.s. I know that Ron and Hermione are destined or whatever but I just wanted to play with Hermione...thats what fan fictions are for!

A.N. I updated this, and used the very handy Justin for a beta….Carla I still need you badly but I did not want to bother you with these first few short chapters. Huggles.


	2. A Bad Day

Her day had started out badly. This should have been a sign that things would get worse.

First she woke to find that she had trouble finding her Herbology book, then on her way to breakfast she past a scruffy looking Professor Trelawny who whipped around and told her to be wary of toads and flying spoons.  
At breakfast her newspaper had been dropped in her bowl of cereal, and with stiffled laughs from Ron and Harry who had been discussing Quidditch.  
She could hear obnoxious laughter from the Slytherin table as she rushed, beet red, from the Great Hall so that she could change her clothes before her first class of the day.  
This led her to being late for her first class of the day much to everyones amazement and her own growing feelings of foreboding.

Professor Sprout, quickly closed her gaping mouth then shut it and ignored the fact that Hermione had been late. Well, thought the Professor, I guess it happens to everyone.  
Her day continued badly with, one small blunder after another. From tripping down a main stair case and scattering her books, to having Snape make the Gryffindors write out the entire history of a Dringor snail for their potion,  
which she could have recited before hand and was annoyed at this repetition.

Then she spent her entire lunch period reading up on Charms for her first tutoring session, nibbling on her sandwich and scratching out notes. This was the one thing that sustained her throught the day.  
Harry had asked her what she was doing only to be snapped at. No one bothered her for the rest of the lunch hour.

Finally, the day had ended and she thought, "My day cannot get any worse".She made her way to the Proffesors office which was located on the second floor near his classroom. The room was small, quaint and cluttered with books and papers.  
Afternoon sun shone through a paned glass window and bits of dust danced through the fading beams.

The Flitwick stood quickly and shook her hand.

"I am so very glad that you have decided to come. Your student will be here shortly."

Hermione quickly started to gush about what she had read up on, and dragged out a few books from her bag.

Flitwick held up his pudgie hand and said, " You can go over this with him. He should have some grasp of what areas that he is having problems in and even though he may be reluctant, I am sure you will help whether he likes it or not. But in any case I believe that you will try."

"You may use my class room, and I believe that three sessions a week would be good. Unless you feel he needs more."

"Oh, I believe that is him now."

Hermione eagerly turned to the oak door to see who she would be helping in their knowledge and her enthusiasm instantly died as a familiar head of white blond hair came into view and that hated voice drawled, "This is going to be so much fun. I cant believe father is forcing me to be tutored"  
He looked up at her peeking around the big arm chair she was seated in and he froze and a paniced expression flew across his face.  
Draco raised an accusing finger at her and said "NOT HER!"

Flitwick smiled and bumbled over to a stack of books. "Oh how pleasent that you too already know eachother."

Her day had just gone from bad to worse. 


	3. A Little Lie

The professor had left them alone in his office to discuss a tutoring schedule and they sat silently for a long time.

Draco was perched sulking on the edge of his chair while Hermione looked away to cool down.

She had mulled it over in her head and she had decided to give it try if he was willing. She shuddered at the fact that she was seriously considering helping him. Draco Malfoy Prince of the Smerk and Sneer, and the largest hater of people not pure blood in the entire school.

Actually, Hermione did not know if he hated Harry or people from non wizarding familys more.

Clearing her throat to break the silence she began to speak, "Professor Flitwick thinks that you need three tutoring sessions a week, so if you tell me what afternoons are best I can schedule around you."

He stood up quickly, anger in his pale face. "I am not being tutored, least of all by a filthy mudblood like you!"

Hermione felt her anger rise. "Well, either we try to work this out and I help you pass charms or you can go cry to daddy and I will tell everyone that you needed charms tutoring and that you a failing very badly.

I would also like to note that your father would not be very happy that his son had given up the change to learn from one person who even thought they are not "pure blood" as you say but has already passed the entire course for the year in little under two months."

He squawked as he tried to rebuttle but nothing came so he just shot out venomly, "You're stupid!" Hermione scratched her arm and said, "You are one to talk."

He sat in a huff, arms crossed and only answered her in curt one sylibal answers.

"Now, how about Tuesday, Thursday and then we can use Saturday as review of the other two days?'

"Fine."

"Now, how about two hour sessions? That would be the same as a class, I can teach you, we can go over your homework, I will give you some extra things to work on on your own time and then review on Saturday afternoon, say about two and a half hours then?"

"Awhuh…"

She could tell his attention was waining, well that must be why he is failing so badly as he pulled on a frayed string on the chair arm.

"I need to know what exactly it is that you have had problems in in Charms in the past so that I can research and we can go over them before exams."

She waited and he said, "Fine."

She waited a little longer.

"Well."

He scowled at her. "What?" He demanded.

"I asked you what have you had problems with in the past?"

"I don't have problems." He breathed, "It's the stupid teacher…"

Hermione snickered. "You and I both know that is a lie."

He avoided her eyes and replied, "Things to do with wand control, incantations, and I honestly cannot do a levitation spell."

Hermione almost laughed, It had to be a lot more then that if his marks were correct.

She stood up and put her book that she had been taking notes in back in her bag.

He stood quickly and glared.

"Well, I will research, and I will see you in three days in Flitwicks classroom at say 4:30?"

As she started to the door, he interrupted her sounding a little less like the Draco who had insulted her ferociously a few moments ago. "Tell no one about your tutoring me…"

She quirked a brow and said, "I wont but I will need to tell them something. My friends do ask questions and I hate lying."

Draco quickly thought then said, "Tell them that you are tutoring Longbottom. No one in their right mind would question it if you said that you were giving him help in potions and you do it anyway so?"

She nodded her head and as she left thought, Why am I now lying for Malfoy?


	4. Lesson one

Lesson one…

She had prepared thoroughly to go over the basics with Malfoy so that she knew he had a solid base to start on. No one could perform a perfect Incolatium charm without the proper wand control she thought with a smile.

Classes ended and Hermione went to wait in the Professors classroom for him to arrive. She began to re-review her notes that she had prepared for the lesson and when she next looked up at the clock it was four o'clock.

Twenty minutes later Draco showed up.

Hermione was livid. She refused to speak for fear that she would strangle him promptly. He shifted uncomfortably under her stare and tried to shrug it off.

"Fine tutor you are. I will blame you completely if I fail. How am I supposed to learn anything if you just sit there and stare at me like that?" He crossed his arms defiantly.

She let in a large breath and replied calmly but with a fire under the surface.

"I am doing this out of pure academic love. How am I supposed to teach a rat like you, ANYTHING, if you are not here, ON TIME, to learn and not forty minutes late? Say the word and you are free to leave, just as I am free to tell everyone that you are too lazy to learn simple wand control and are so far behind in the class that you will still be in it ten years from now?"

His face became red. "I am not about t-to allow, some stinking mudblood like you to lecture and black mail me. You don't have the right t-to….."

"I have the perfect right considering that I am your teacher here and you are my student." She interrupted sharply.

"I don't have to put up with this…" Draco turned viciously to walk out the door again but found that he could not.

"Wha-WHAT?" He stammered, as he felt, like a mime, up and down the invisible barrier that prevented him from leaving.

Hermione smiled wide like the Cherchire cat, and said smoothly, "If you really want to leave, then stay, learn, and then you will have to do my lesson today, and the next and the next, until our final lesson. At which time I will teach you how to perform the counter charm to remove the spell."

"Otherwise, we will be stuck here all night, until the Professor arrives in the morning."

He regarded her angrily.

"And I really don't think that he would be pleased to know that the reason we were locked in here was that you refused to learn. I am confident that he would fail you on the spot."

He paced back and forth while she watched him from the teachers chair.

Finally he stopped and said heatedly, "If you let me out I wont come back. You will be in so much trouble…."

"Possibly," She agreed, "But I still would have the knowledge of your eminent failure to learn the simplest things and trust me, you will come back for more."

Draco stopped pacing and was taken aback by this new more confident and assertive Hermione with a rather frightening glint in her eye.

"Fine" he spat and she smiled wider and then put her hands behind her head and crossed her feet on the desk.

She was quickly unbalanced and she fell backwards with a yelp. Draco snorted.

"But no more funny business" he said after regaining his scowl as she looked up to him from behind the desk.

"Sure, just make sure that while we are in this room, the name is Hermione, and nothing else. Got that, Oh and the more of my time you waste the more of yours that I do so on Saturday, during Hogsmeade visits?"

He nodded sullenly and went to sit beside her at the large desk while she lifted herself up onto the chair again from the floor. "Good, Now we shall start at the beginning" she said very business like.

Two hours later, after Hermione was more then satisfied with the pointed faced ones progress, she cast a sight dulling and hearing removal charm on Draco much to his reluctance and mumbled the counter spell on the barrier.

He left but not before glaring enough to melt ice with his fiery gaze.

Hermione shoke her head. After years of his torment she had learned to shrug it off, it was the threats that Harry and Ron always warned her about. His father was still a Voldemort supported who had yet to be found and even though it had been proven by Dumbledore that none of the students were Deatheaters per say, she still had to be careful. It had taken till her seventh year to almost be used to the brat, but he still had bite.

She realized early into the lesson, between short angry spats and mumbled vague threats and the evil eye that he was a very fast learner. It was keeping his attention that was going to prove difficult, but after the first half hour she had decided to change her tactics and started to tease him.

She kept saying things like, "Well Harry picked up this next movement his first try, but don't get your hopes up.." or "I really think that this next movement is too tricky, We'd best save it for another lesson."

With these silly goading's, his attention to her lesson had become eerie. It was then that he started to pick up on everything instantly when he had the drive to prove himself better.

In other subjects he must have this drive but without anyone to push him and re-teach him these things in Charms he had fallen dreadfully behind.

She smiled slightly thinking about how he had lit up after he had successfully done the first five main wand movements perfectly as she randomly called the numbers out; Something that she did in her spare time much to the annoyance of Harry, Ron, Ginny or whoever happened to be the one she used to call out the numbers. Shaking herself she tried to forget the smile he had given her before becoming cold again and the feeling that that had made itself aware in her chest.

She told herself as she walked to the great hall for supper, that she was merely pleased with her student's quick academic achievement, and that it had nothing to do with the student. That's what she kept telling herself.

She had not thought about the mood that the head boy would be in after her severe chastising of him. Hermione was a little taken aback after supper to find Draco in their common room practicing the wand movements more on the large brown couch.

Seeing her he swiftly hid his wand behind his back and glared. He was upset at having been found trying and doing the homework she had assigned.

"Goodnight, Mudblood." He growled as Hermione held her straight face, walked up the stairs to her room, cast a silencing charm on the room, slid down the door and laughed till she leaked tears down her cheeks.

PS. I have knowticed that my previous chapters have been rather short and I probably should combine them but that would mean I would have to take away the chapters names and I am rather fond of naming then so meah!

PaRTy-GiRL089: A variation on your idea, THANK YOU! My plot may have loop holes but at least it is sparkly! I love writing!


	5. Lesson two new class

Lesson two…

That Thursday, Draco showed up promptly at three to begin their lesson. Hermione had again cast the Barrier charm that basically let someone enter the room but not leave again until the counter charm was said.

Now that he had the first five wand movements down she started to teach him the more difficult ones that involved not only the wrist movement but also some form of guidance on the other hand.

After twenty minutes of aggravation Hermione sat back down in her chair with a plop and an on coming head ache.

Draco sneered, "Not giving up already are you Mudbl-Hermione? I don't see why I need to learn this stuff anyway."

She turned her head towards him and said, "This is why." And she started to mutter under her break while doing the wand motion with perfection and grace. All of a sudden a small wind appeared inside the classroom which played at her hair. It was pale and opaque in color and it began to swirl like a cyclone on the floor.

A few papers danced around the room in the breeze and then she said as his eyes widened, "And now watch." She dropped her wandless hand to her side and instantly the wind became wild and uncontrolled.

As it wiped violently around the room, Draco scooted off his chair to the floor as it swooped over his head and began to sputter out.

He was torn between outrage and awe. He chose both, "What in the world was that?"

"A Siral wind, and it can be quiet powerful with the proper handling." She smiled, "I could have lifted for example you or even this desk and threw it out the window."

He blanched knowticibly and got back in his chair ready to absorb this new information.

Draco cast a quick glance at Hermiones face. Her hair had become hopelessly tangled in the wind she had created but she did not even notice and he seriously doubted that if she did, she could care less. So absorbed was she in her explanation of the next movement.

Her eyes sparkled with a light that Draco had barely ever glimpsed when he had looked over at the Griffindor table and she was talking with Old Scarhead or Weaslebie. The thought crept into his head that she looked almost pretty with the faint afternoon light haloing her head, and her face flushed with excitement.

Well he quickly put a stop to this nonsensical train of thought as he sneered at her.

Hermione looked up from her text to find Draco sneering at her largely and she changed her enthusiasm greatly. He was truly impossible, but she refused to give up.

Ten minutes before their lesson ended, Hermione went through a very simple breeze charm so that he could practice the double hand control. She also gave him the homework of searching for some new charms which used all the movements they had covered so far so that he could learn them the following Tuesday.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one who finds things to teach me? Starting to slack a little aren't you Hermione?" He sneered yet again.

"This way you will be learning some good homework habits, and I will know exactly what kinds of charms you are interested in so that I can teach you the more mediocre ones in-between the more interesting ones that you yourself have picked out to learn."

She handed him rather large leather embossed book and said, "You can look in this text for what you like, because I know it by heart." Draco looked dubiously at it. "Or you can show some inichitive and visit the library." She quirked an eyebrow as she gathered her books, "You do know where that is right?"

He growled and spat, "Yes, I do know where it is. Just because I am not doing the best in Charms does not mean that I am completely clueless."

Before she could stop herself she said, "Could have fooled me." Instantly she realized that this was a big mistake. They may not have been getting along perfect but she had just lashed out at him on reflex and this was not the way to treat your student. Even if Snape's specialty was berating his students, she did not want to follow in his footsteps.

Hate oozed from his eyes, "I would expect as much from a slimy Mudblood such as yourself."

He turned and tried to walk out of the classroom, the large text under one arm and his wand stuck hap-hazardly in his back pocket. Draco walked full force into the barrio with an "Ooaf!" Part of Hermione recoiled, another thought, "Serves him right" and her inner child was rolling around on the floor in laughter.

She quietly preformed the counter charm while he stood up and made a very crude muggle gesture at her. Hermione was not even surprised that he knew it as she watched him storm from the room. Well this was going to make for a difficult common room life, she mused, half amused, half tired.

That night at dinner Dumbledore made an announcement.

"The seventh years are requested to linger in the Great Hall after supper for a few minutes. That is all. Enjoy." He sat down and began to eat with great relish while listening to Hagrid talk.

Harry looked a bit wary. "You don't think it has anything to do with Voldemort do you?"

Ron looked skeptical, "Well if it did, I am sure Dumbledore would have told the whole school right?"

Hermione spoke up, "He is a secretive man but if it was something of that nature I know that he would tell everyone. Besides, Lavender and Parvati could not keep a secret if their lives depended on it." She grinned at Harry's laughter.

He turned his green eyes to Ron; worry forgotten, and started asking him about the Chudley Cannons new Seeker. Returning to her food, Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table to see Malfoy looking in her direction and when he noticed her watching him he turned abruptly and started talking to Crabbe, who snickered menacingly.

Hermione wanted to apologize but she would bet her wand that he would use it against her and probably make her say something worse. Or she would do him some bodily harm she thought with relish. He just always seemed to bring such fire out in her and she was beginning to think that it was more then just him being mean.

The Great Hall began to filter out, and when everyone was gone but the Seventh years Dumbledore arose again to address the remaining students.

"In order to create a more harmony between the different houses of the graduating students, we are starting an extra weekly class in which you will be paired up with a student from a separate house. In order to graduate you must pass."

Dumbledore looked around at the stunned silence. "Oh, don't you all worry. This should be easy and fun and in light of Voldemorts attempts this unity will merely make us stronger."

He held up the sorting hat. "Inside, are slips of paper with all of your names on them. We have done a simple spell so that no one from the same house gets one another."

Ten minutes later, almost everyone was paired up. Harry was downcast when Crabbe had drawn his name and Ron almost tripped when he pulled Millicent Bulstrode from the hat.

Hermiones name was called and she stood and walked to the front. Not many students were left but Hermione was too nervous to have looked around to see who was remaining. The thought of not being able to pass because of someone else's effort had put her in a very dangerous state of mind.

She reached in and stared dully at the name in her hand. Written in neat scrawling letters was the name, "Draco Malfoy."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

PS. Yes I know……NO ONE saw that one coming…………..yeah for obvious fluff!


	6. Getting the hang of it

Authors note >o I want to dedicate this chapter to Rootbeer who is the bestest! I cannot wait to read more of your welcome to he11 story...when you write more...hint HINT

To Jaru...where ever you are...

And to Tara, who I feel bad about because I was not supposed to mention something and did...but I believe that she has forgotten about it and never read it anyway! I keep checking everyday to see if she commented and nope, no new ones!

Story note, I have a few new ideas and even though I write ummmm "special feelings" or smut or whatever you want to call it, into story's rather slowly, this one has had a new developement in my mind and will contain it, but writen in my lovely emontional way and not in Puppy chans lovely smutty way...oh I wish it could be like hers!

So Tara I am sorry! Forgive me! And enjoy the next chappie! Comments give me Joygasms! (batman and robyn reference) lol

Hermione was in shock. First she had to attend seven years with the ferret boy, he had been a perfect, then Head boy, and all the planning and meetings that that entailed with their rounds, and the big graduation dance, then she had to tutor him in charms and now they were going to have to work on this well whatever it was together.

Harry and Ron tried to console her the next morning over oatmeal and toast.

"Its not really all that bad." Said Harry unconvincingly. Hermione just gave him a look and he gulped and turned imploringly to Ron.

"Well, I hate to be the one to admit this…and don't either of you dare repeat this but Malfoy…. he is…. umm you know." Ron trailed off and let his eyes wander.

"What?" both Hermione and Harry inquired at the same time.

"Well how should I put this…. a big insufferable git for one, but a big insufferable git who gets good marks." Ron looked as if he had just vomited up these last words and he continued as Hermione poked her oatmeal listlessly.

"Whether it's because of his father, and the teachers either being afraid to fail the ferret or if it's because heaven forbid, he is actually smart." Harry coughed on his dry toast.

"You cant be serious can you Ron? Conniving and sneaky yes but he is not intelligent at all!" Harry was grinning.

Ron argued, "I am not trying to sound like I want to join the Malfoy fan club, but my point is Harry, does it not seem like someone would have a better chance of passing this inter-house class thing if they were paired up with someone like Draco, instead of someone say like Crabbe?" Harry frowned.

"Alright! I get it now. So Hermione complain all you want about him, just don't expect the two of us to be pleased when we are still in school twenty years from now." Harry said dejected.

Hermione laughed. "Oh alright! I will help you two all that I can about this "thing", but you have to agree that it will be more pleasant with the people you ended up with then with Malfoy…I mean come on! He is everywhere! I wake up he is in our common room, he is the last person I see before I go to bed, I am in more then half my classes with him and now with this tutoring…ahhhh." Hermione trailed off as the boys looked at her expectantly.

Hermione's mind scattered for a cover of some type. "Oh look the owww…ls." Thankfully, any suspicious babbling that she was about to do was covered up but Colin's Newspaper being artfully dropped into Neville's oatmeal, splattering him while he gaped around looking confused. Her slip up had been completely forgotten.

Harry and Ron laughed good-naturedly and stood to help clean up the luckless boy while Hermione's smile waned. She took that moment to look up to see the particular Slytherin watching her like a hawk.

Well she thought almost cheerfully, she would only tell everyone his little secret if he made them fail. But by then we would both be labeled idiots…maybe she could appeal to Dumbledore, there was no was she was going to spend another year in school while everyone else went on the fight. Especially with what she had been working on these past three years.

Her discovery would not be wasted, even if she had to cheat to pass and prove that she could cooperate with the darker house.

Draco was not impressed. He had even gone to the head master and pleaded not to be put with the head girl for this rather important project. Dumbledore had simply laughed and replied with, "Why would you not want to be working with the person in the school with the highest marks? All you have to do is get along and work together and it's a free ticket to passing."

What Draco could not say was that he had a big problem with both of those things. He did not even bother trying to get along with her anymore, well he had tried but if you were to have seen this, you would not believe that he had, with his tempter the way it was.

Although Draco, on a knife's point, would never admit that he had tried getting along with the mudblood. That alone could ruin his reputation forever. It was not like he had to worry though; she would always give him an excuse to be horrid. Her retorts and biting remarks truly did rival his own where in the other two of the golden trio just kept on about him being a wanker, and worthless and such.

Draco knew that he was far from worthless and so did Voldemort. He sometimes had to hold that information back when fighting with the three Geekateirs. The information that the dark lord had told his father how much he wanted to have Draco in his army of Death eaters was enough to make even Crabbe and Goyle try to hide under their beds. Which they had much to Draco's sadistic humor. They had both gotten stuck.

For such big guys they really were cowards.

But the thing was that he was too. No one knew it really, except for those stupid few "brave" Gryffindors. His father and the Dark Lord had both agreed that until he was no long under their present headmaster that he would have to wait to get the Dark mark till after he gradutated and Draco was not looking forward to this at all. Lucius had told him that he was to spy on everyone, especially Albus and report in letters what was going on. He had been doing this for years, and his father was pleased with whatever simpering little details that Draco had supplied and sometimes made up.

The thing was that Draco did not want to be a Death Eater, although he longed to get revenge of some type on Weaslebee and especially Scarhead he would rather do it on his own terms. He would rather see them horribly embarrassed or see them crushed on the Quidditch pitch by him. He found there was more satisfaction in seeing them suffer then just simply killing them or anyone for that matter.

For some odd reason he could never think of a fitting revenge for the female of the trio. She was a worthy advisory and much to his dismay he respected her because of her hard work and determination and her clever banter. But for the life of him he could not get along with her!

He hated being indebted to her also. Draco was rather confused about this entire Charms tutoring fiasco. Yes he had needed tutoring here and there; his parents were tyrants when it came to marks so as soon as he was slipping in anything,up popped another lame tutor that made him go back on track.

Never before had he had problems in Charms and he did not know what worried him more. That he was failing the course in his NEWTS year or that he could care less.

O o O o O o O o O o O o O o O o

That night the seventh years arrived to the appointed lecture hall in the castle to attend their first lesson of what was here on in called, "Outer House Cooperation Class" otherwise known by the students as "The Class-that-died-from-boredom" or as called by Draco, "naptime".

It consisted of various trust exercises like catching your partner as they fall backwards. Harry's face before Crabbe fell on top of him was priceless, and so was the night in infirmary, to Draco at least.

Another project was to sketch your partner. Ron was slapped after he had shown his meager scribbling to Millicent who thought that he was making fun of her.

So far Hermione and Draco had gotten through the little assignments fine, even though for some reason Hermione had been shaking when she caught Draco. He assumed it was because she was either afraid that he would fall on her like the big oaf Crabbe had done to Weaslebee or that he would jinx her if she dropped him on his ass.

On the other hand, his palms had gotten all sweaty when it was his turn to catch her and he did almost drop her and she squeaked so he let her shakiness pass him by.

She had only taken sly looks at him as she sketched while the both of them were sitting across from each other on the floor like all the other groups. The point of this assignment was to get people to see the other as a person and not as their house. Personally Hermione just thought it was an excuse for Dumbledore to get to sketch a really reluctant Professor Snape who looked if possible more sullen and sarcastic then normal as he boredly scribbled out Albus on his page. It turns out that Albus had done a very amusing caricature which was rumored to have been posted in the staff lunch in room, where all the teachers could see until the bulliten board had mysteriously disappeared. There had been an Unromovable charm on the picture but not on the board.

Draco kept trying to peak at her sketch and she quickly hid it against her chest. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Well I don't think you would like it if I sat on your picture but the idea of my face there is rather frightening."

Hermione gaped like a fish and then fumed, "Alright, no fighting, no peeking, I will show you when I am done."

He nodded and started scribbling without looking at her at all. Ten minutes later Dumbledore stood and announced to exchange sketches. Draco instantly grabbed hers from her and stuck his behind his back.

"Hey!" Hermione squawked.

"Now, now! No fighting, no peeking. Now let me see…." He continued to pick apart her entire drawing, saying that she had made his nose too long and his hair too dark. Hermione was bristling, because she had tried even though she knew she was not very good at drawing.

Arms crossed she was not looking at him until he said, " I like it." Softly.

She turned to see his eyes look at her earnestly. "Would you mind if I kept it and you signed it?"

Again Hermione was gaping as she nodded and wrote her name in the bottom corner.

"But you sounded like you hated it!"

Draco shook his head. "Its called critiquing, just because it may have many flaws, "he grinned here, "does not mean that I don't like it. Its original, and well, here now you critique mine…." He became pink around the ears and shoved his notebook into her hands.

She opened her mouth to berate him and her words got stuck in her throat. Here was not one sketch of her but many tiny ones. All the pictures were depicting her different expressions of annoyance, laughter, malice, and boredom. The larger one was of her shy face with her notebook clasped to her chest and a shaded blush on her cheeks.

He had captured her perfectly and she was amazed.

"Draco" She looked up to see him looking at her expectantly.

"Yes? Come on tell me, I know they are horrible but we only had like ten minutes and you kept moving so much." He looked rather ashamed.

"They are wonderful!" She said laughing. "And to think you did that in that short of time without even looking!"

"You were watching me eh?" He snickered.

"Well of course I was you twit! I was drawing you!" She smiled.

"Could I have this?" He interrupted her, his confidence returned, "How much will you pay me for them?"

She stood angrily, "I was just joking, only I want this one." He tore off the one of her blushing.

He handed her the page without even looking back and said as he left the room, "See you tomorrow, I think I have that charm down now, Professor Granger." Her name was said in sarcasm and she was left confused.

He had signed his initials and the date, even before he had given it to her. Like he thought that she may want it to have before she had even seen it.

Hermione went to bed with a headache from troubling thoughts.


	7. Lesson three Chicken feathers

"….and of course I did all the homework you assigned! I do actually do my homework, I am not like some stupid Mudbloo…" Draco fumed, barely controlling his rage.

She did not know what had gotten into him since yesterday. The words of "I hope you have all of your homework done" had barely left her lips before he started raging at her.

Calmly she let him go on. "I am trying! But no! Miss Perfect Hermione would never believe that anyone besides herself would actually want a good mark and to pass. Everyone else is a just stupid slacker to the all mighty Queen of Musty books and Brown nosing. She how she sits so prim on her throne, its because she has a broom handle shoved permanently up her b….."

Draco looked over at her sitting quietly behind the desk in confusion. "Well?" He asked a little deflated.

"Well what?" she asked coldly.

"Does the Gryffindork no longer stand up for herself? Or can she no longer come up with anything witty to say in return. Cat got your tongue?"

"I just did not think that I should interrupt, as you were obviously having such a grand time talking to yourself." She replied dryly.

Draco just stared at her. Here he was all ready for a good fight and she just let him barrel right over her. What was wrong with the girl?

"Now, if you really did take so much offense to the simple question of me asking if you had all of the practice assigned to you done then I apologize. So far you have shown yourself to be extremely dedication and I did not mean to offend, Your Highness." She said mockingly. "Now if you are quiet done I would like to get down to business." Hermione was seething but she would not let her personal war with the ferret boy get in the way of her teaching someone who may not want to but needed her help.

Opening a book she looked up from under her eyelashes at him as he stood there silent. "Cat got your tongue?" she asked with deceptive sweetness.

He was shaking. Oh he was mad yes, furious yes, but he was also shaking for other reasons. The letter from his father had read,

"Dear Draco,

Here are some very important things that you need to read over. They are for your eyes only and should anyone else get a hold of them…Well let's just say that that would be a grave mistake on your part.

Learn what these books have to offer and you will go far. Use whomever you feel appropriate to practice on, just do not call any attention to your actions. Certain wizards at the school would love to get their hands on these books but you have my trust.

Mother sends her love. We will see you in two months. Be prepared.

Lucious T. Malfoy"

Contained in the heavily wrapped package was a set of three books. They were, "The Volumes of Purification, books 1-3." Inside, as Draco had peeked, was easily every curse needed to completely destroy another human being, through body, mind and soul. Inside were The Unforgivables, and even more terrible many new sadistic torture charms and curses, from Voldemorts own hand…with pictures.

After Draco had finished vomiting up the little amount that he had eaten for supper he became angry. That was what he did. All emotions that he could not adjust to like sadness or confusion, he turned quickly into malice and anger and hatred. This hatred was still directed towards his father for making him become a Death Eater soon but it was all vented out on the next person he saw. And this happened to be the aggravating Hermione Granger.

He sat down, a terror of emotions coursed through him as he tried to regain control. Even though he did not want to become like his father, he needed to be able to become calm like his father had taught him. If he did not then who knows what he would do? Personally, he did not want to find out.

Hermione watched as Draco sat down jerkily and began to do deep breathing. She was a little fascinated. From the look on his face he must do this a lot whenever he was talking to Harry, or maybe he did it before he talked to them but she had seen this look often. It was there whenever she turned around to see him after fighting with the three of them. Usually when they hadwon and he had lost insome way or another.She wondered what had gotten him so worked up? This was more then his normal fighting and she knew it.

He would name call, tease, and embarrass the hell out of anyone he could find who did not meet his criteria but here in this room he had stopped doing that to her for the most part. Hermione was still not used to it but decided not to question his outburst. She would not kid herself. They were not friends. They would never be friends and she was all right with that. But that little naive kind girl inside her wanted to ask him very badly and help him if possible, even with all those years of nastiness he had piled up against him.

He let the air come silently into his lungs filling them with the mess of feelings, he let them fester and grow until he thought he would burst and then with a fast breath he pushed it all out of himself.

As she opened the textbook she cleared her throat and he was snapped out of his white void of silence and air.

"I did all of the homework…" He looked at her blankly.

"Good!" she said patiently. "Now do you think that you could practice the levitation charm while I look over your notes?"

"Fine." He said curtly and he stood to pick up a handful of feathers from beside her. As he was reaching over she briefly glanced at his expressionless face. It was not the face that always got her, she knew so well now that he was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing, or more appropriately a devil with an angels face but it was always his eyes that got her.

Quick and full of life and malice but now they held a lifeless glow. It must have been that breathing thing he did. She stifled a laugh as she tried to picture Malfoy doing Yoga, but then again she though, he probably would not even know what it was.

As she mindlessly began to go over his notes, unconsciously changing spelling mistakes and rewording everything he had written down into her mind in a more precise manner she let her mind wander. She had been thinking about her Transfiguration final when she felt something brush against her ear.

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Draco had gotten the stupid Levitation charm the very instant that he had first tried it the previous day. So as he watched the feathers hover around the room and started to make them march around, at first to amuse himself and then to possibly get Hermiones attention. The anger was gone and hidden but the mischievous was always there within him. He started to make them do strange little dances and still that would not get her attention she was so absorbed in reading his notes.

After a great feathery fluffy crescendo of movement he let all but one feather fall to the ground.

After this he began to simply watch his tutor as she read. Her eyes quickly and almost boredly scanning the page as she occasionally fixed a spelling mistake that he had purposely put there. He thought at least when he had written that you needed "to ass the situation for what counter charm to use in a dangerous situation" that that would get a laugh out of her but her face remain unmoving. He watched at first out of boredom and then became slightly fascinated as she occasionally moved her feather quill over her parted lips which moved silently as she read, or how she would absently twirl a stray scattered half curl around her finger.

It was that she did not realize that she was doing these things that interested him, and also that she did not know that she was being watched. He hated to admit it but even before she had shrunk her buckteeth fourth year that she had been attractive. It was the way that she did these small things that made her so. Her hair was still as frizzy as ever but it was something, like her, that was so unexplainably constant.

While everyone around was changing, taking sides, growing up, Hermione had stayed the same as when he had first met her with very few changes. She no longer put up with him, and her true bravery had shown in many ways.

She had started out the most responsible goody two shoes that you were ever to meet but Hermione merely became more herself over the seven years he had known her, unlike everyone else. She was not afraid to be herself, and Draco looked in the mirror and did not even know who he was anymore. But he definitely knew that he was not going to be the type of person that did those things in the books his father had sent him. He knew he was not his father, whom he had been raised to be like. Draco let his anger override any sense of being lost that he constantly felt.

He watched as she sat up and arched her back to stretch. Draco had never noticed how stunning she was. Eyes that flashed at him in anger, now could look on him in laugher. The soft brown light the shone from there was chilling to him. Her upturned nose was no longer stuck up merely quaint, and her lips held a perfect cupids bow and smile.

It was as he began thinking these things that the feather that he had unconsciously held onto with his magic began to flutter around sparactically.

A thought formed in his mind when he saw this movement and a sly smile spread on his face.

Hermione pushed back her hair, thinking that was what had brushed so slowly against her ear. Upon the third time she looked up to see Draco prodding a feather determinedly with his wand and thinking that he was still trying to get it to float at all she smiled and went back to reading. He quickly made the feather float with precision into the air and this time he let it rest on the back of her hand. She did not notice so with an agonizingly slow pace he began to send the feather tip up her hand, along her arm and up to her neck.

Draco was so absorbed in control that he did not see her looking at him right away.

The sensations had sent shivers down her spine and made her both warm and cool at the same time. Her breath had hitched and she looked up to see Draco staring intently at her bare arm. His gaze was no longer blank but filled with something unnamable.

She just watched him and when he looked up a bit of embarrassment peaked in his cheeks but he kept trailing the feather up her shoulder, and then ran it along her jaw and let it linger softly on her lower lip.

"ACHOO!"

Hermione sneezed loudly making the both of them jump and making the feather flee.

They looked at each other surprised and then they both broke out laughing.

"Well its safe to say Malfoy, that you have mastered that levitation charm." She said once she had composed herself.

He had been so intense but she put it in the back of her mind. "Can I ask you a question?" Hermione said.

"I believe you just did Hermione…" He smirked, with the strange look fleeting into his normal mask. "OK!"

"I am saying this strictly as your teacher here, but…..Why are doing so badly in Charms?" He looked like he did not understand her so she went to clarify.

"I mean, everything we have reviewed you have picked up instantly. You know this stuff, and Professor Flitwick told me that you were one of his top students previously but now…."

"Are you just having trouble paying attention or is its something els….."

He interrupted her, "No its not that. Trust me if I had a problem paying attention I would have failed Potions, or in the very least Professor Binns class. I pay attention. Sadly enough, even more now then I did before. I take notes but when I read them later they…well at least I think I take notes…I…" He faltered.

"What?" She asked impatiently.

"I remember taking the stupid notes, but they read like gibberish later and then I cant study the fucking things!" He barked.

"And no Miss Priss I do not have some muggle learning disability, I have been checked for that. I just don't remember anything from the classes is all." He glared at her sullenly.

"OK! I did not mean to upset you, I will keep tutoring you as promised, and keep it a secret as promised, but I really think you should find out what's going on."

"Is that all?" He asked rudely as he stood and slapped together his books. His carefully stowed away anger was rearing its nasty head. He went to storm out but just in time he remembered the charm she put on the room and he stopped jerking backwards a little. He looked like a caged animal, and Hermione honestly did not think that he would do that funny breathing thing again right now so she quickly let him out and followed him to their dorm.

He angrily pulled at his tie and pulled his shirt off over his head and threw it fiercely into his hamper. Hermione stood watching him surprised at his anger then embarrassed at standing there watching him undress with his door open. Before she could move Draco leered from the doorway in all his half clad glory.

"This is not a free show! I know that you don't get much but honestly go drool somewhere else. Although feel free to pay in clothing, a skirt or bra perhaps? and I will happily oblige a strip tease." He let his eyes wander up and down her form and being experienced as he was he knew she was hiding something lethal to a young male under those god awful robes.

"Pervert!" she yelped like a dog with its tail on fire. Hermione feel his eyes wander her form and she put all she could muster through her raging embarrassment at having been caught watching the bastard into a glare before stomping up to her room and slamming the door. Look who she is calling a pervert, he mused before shutting his door forcibly.

She did not know which she was more embarrassed about the offer of a strip tease, seeing his chest, him undressing her with his eyes so hungrily or the little part of her that wanted to see the look on his smug face if she really had handed him her skirt. Malfoy was one hundred percent chicken and that act would have scared the hell out of him and sent him running but Malfoy was also one hundred percent sexy. She had known the first instant that she saw the ferret that he would grow to be gorgeous, but that did not matter much. He was still the most egotistical, insolent, childish, aggravating, stuck up wanker that he had always been.

So much for a sexy chicken she thought. Bagawk!

He had been so angry but when he had seen her looking at him it went away and was replaced by something much much more confusing and aggravating. There was no way he was going to go all schoolboy and have a crush on the girl that he fought with continually. That was just too childish. And Draco Malfoy was no longer a child, not by a long shot!

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Okay here is like 5 and a half pages! Whew! So comments? Questions? Queries? I really need to think up some more lessons…..give me more spells for her to review with him please oh and if Lucious's middle initial is not t then tell me what it is and feel free to correct name spelling cus I sort suck at it...I spell Lucious wrong constantly? Lol, trust me I know where this is going to an extent. The next chappie will be about…well I don't think I should tell but this is all dedicated to Tara and RootBeer….PS you guys really need to update! CRYS LOUDLY!


	8. Twice blackening

She stared almost blindly at the textbook in front of her. All the words and figures on her page blending together into one singular mass of shifting gray.

Hermione closed her eyes slowly, to try to relieve some of the ache that had developed there and then clasped her hands behind her head, stretched and grinned in satisfaction as she heard the creaks there shift themselves out.

She ran her hands roughly through her hair to move it out of her face, though this was not very much because her fingers got stuck after a few inches. Then she let her books fall to the floor, onto the thick carpet in front of the embering fire in the common room and she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and rubbed her eyes as she held her forehead in her palms.

It had been a long night of studying and she was tired.

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He had loved the look on her face after he had mentioned stripping. Normally he would have thought that kind of reaction from a girl to be rather prudish, but the red there, on her cheeks, meant something different. Hermione was innocent it appeared about guys and he found this intriguing.

Draco had naturally assumed that she was used to being teased about that type of stuff considering that her sad, pathetic, friends were both boys. He had even thought that she was probably hiding a nasty streak under all her bookish ways but her face right then had told him otherwise. Hermione was not a tease, or a prude, and it bother Draco that he did not know how to classify her. Not that someone like her could ever be placed under a single heading of Virgin or Slut but it still bothered him but not that he was thinking about the putrid girl in a sexual way he assured himself.

There was no way that he was going to like someone like her. She was so beneath him that it was rude that he even had to share the same school with her let alone classes and responsibilities. He was going to prove that he felt nothing. He did not even think why he felt the need to prove this, as he stalked straight out of his bedroom and into their shared common room.

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"Up late aren't you filth?"

Hermione's head shot up to see Draco leaning against the large mantle of the fireplace with his arms crossed over his pale bare chest.

Inwardly she groaned. "I was studying and if there is any filth here it is clearly you, Malfoy." She stressed the syllables of his name sarcastically.

"Well I just thought that you could use a break, something to relax you."

Hermione regarded him suspiciously as she watched the shadows play over his face. The firelight almost makes him look alive, warm and less like a corpse she thought oddly.

It was then that he moved. She did not know if he had been moving then the entire time but it seemed that way. His eyes locked with hers as he began to move; slowly, softly and seductively. His body was a primal force all at once gentle and yet terrible with strength and form and warmth.

His muscles moved in perfect precision, each melding into the other like waves on the ocean. Hermione became transfixed with his chest and then his lean graceful arms and then as he turned the slope of his spine and the blades of his shoulders.

All at once this warmth turned to heat and all she wanted to do was take him. Bite his shoulder, run her hands down his stomach along the beautiful angles there, taste his neck and jaw, let her fingers flow through his now mussed hair and drag him to her body.

All she wanted to do was to have him in her arms, beneath her hands and be skin to skin with this gorgeous boy child in front of her eyes.

His steel gray eyes caught her and held her, he never took his eyes from her face and there she was lured in with lust. They spoke of hidden sins uncommitted and promised things that she had never even dreamed of.

He began to slide his hands down his chest and she felt it was pure evil that she could not do the same. She could not move. Achingly and dangerously he reached down to the tie on his dark sleep pants. His strong hands made quick work of the knot there. He stuck his thumbs almost casually in the sides of the elastic beside his toned hips, sparkling now with sweat. She locked eyes with him in surprise and there she felt a bit of panic.

"You know you want it, Hermione," the hair stood up on the backs of her arms when he said her name, "Don't deny it."

At the sound of his voice she knew this was true and she spoke his name, "Draco."

He began to repeat her name over and over as his pants pooled at his feet on the carpet.

Then all was black and all she heard was his voice calling her name.

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Draco was surprised when she had said his name but even more so when she reached out to touch him.

The girl had fallen asleep on the couch, her mouth parted and her body sprawled over the common room couch almost invitingly with a textbook still across her chest. He berated himself for finding her attractive and he resolved to wake her up rudely when he had heard her say his name, and then in one slow sleep induced motion sprawled out her fingers to him and moved her other hand to a place that Draco awoke with his most mornings, but no one ever saw him and he was shocked to see the Head girl, Hermione Granger with her hand on her lower, lower, belly.

Draco was sure that she did not want to be found like this, least of all by him so he acted on instinct. He stepped up to her reclining form, carefully avoiding her outstretched hand and shock her. Hard.

Hermione moaned. Oh Great! Draco thought, here he was trying to get her out of an embarrassing situation even though he did not know why he was bothering and she has to moan and cause certain things to happen to his stupid male body. For instance, heart rate increase and a quickness of breathe, and some awakenings of a certain body part that should stay forever sleeping while the mudblood was around. Bloodly hormones! He thought viciously.

His voice cracked, "Hermi...uhhh…HERMIONE!" He went for the direct approach.

In one swift movement Hermione grabbed his bare shoulder and squeezed and woke up with a mouthful of moaning. Eyes wide she looked at the scene before her. Here stood Draco, looking very similar to the one in her dream, right down to the lack of nightshirt, and the only difference was here he had a look of partial terror, worry, and then anger.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Hermione let go of his shoulder, and raced to her room shutting the door.

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Oh GOD! Was the last thing Hermione thought before falling on her bed into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

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He stumbled back into his room, never noticing the doting imprints of her nails on his bare shoulder from the force of her grip. Well that was interesting he thought with a smirk. Here was the Mudblood all hot and bothered over him! No wait, he mentally smacked his forehead, he did not want her to want him! He did not even want him to want her! Didn't he? This time he actually did smack his forehead. As he climbed into bed he tried very hard not to think about these things. He would deal with it tomorrow, and by then he would have been able to successfully through all this confusion into his most powerful weapon. Hatred and most supremely, Rage.

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The next day Hermione skipped lunch so that she could work more on her special project for Dumbledore and this had nothing to do with the extremely horrific events of the night before. No she was not avoiding the head boy no more then she would ever do so. This was what she kept telling herself as she climbed the steps to her bedroom. The rooms and common room they shared had housed all of the previous Head Boy's and Girl's and Hermione felt very honored to be there also. Compared to her shared room in the other years there were only subtle differences to this one. Besides there only being one bed, it was twice the size of her old one to which Hermione did not complain. She could do her homework quiet comfortably there. It was the same colors, rich greens, and mahogany wood. She had two large arched windows, one pointing east the other west so that from one she could look out over the Forbidden Forrest and the other the lake out front. She would sometime sit in either one watching the sunset and rise, and she felt so quiet and calm there. They were very useful whenever she had to bring herself down from a bad day or encounter with the prat.

She shrugged off her school robes because that day had been rather warm and to practice she needed to get rid of distractions.

Not even Ron or Harry knew what she had been working on, and all Dumbledore had allowed her to tell them was that she was working on something special for the Order and that it was not ready yet. Dumbledore himself had not even seen what she had come up with; he had merely heard her theory at the beginning of the year and was much excited by it.

Hermione had figured out how to do wandless magic. The discovery was part accidental part experimental on her part. Wands had fascinated her ever since she had gotten her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts with it being first thing on her list to buy. She did eventually and reluctantly admitted that wands were rather cumbersome when it came to a real predicament or battle, like the one she had endured throughout her years here. Even extremely clever wizards, sans wands, knew they were on the thinnest ice.

There had been a long history of Wizards and Witches spending the better part of their lives trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Attempts ranged from drinking dragons blood, fresh, to the unavoidable death this caused and some that tried to surgically insert unicorn hairs into their arms and fingers. Not a pretty picture. Some had just ran with the belief that they could do it if they kept trying, and went around all day muttering spells under their breaths and pointing at random things.

Hermione had been trying the later to no avail and after one rather tiring weekend she fell asleep on her desk with her wand by her hand. When she awoke she noticed that one of the twins, she never found out which one, had poured Fillywicks Sticky Sludge all over her notes. Without thinking she casually reached for her wand and said "Scoufiy" and then watched as the mess was cleaned up. She then turned to see that her hand was empty. This awoke her instantly. It was no dream and she had truly done it! It took her three more extremely aggravating weeks to figure out how she had actually done it.

It turns out that her belief that it would happen, even though she did not have a wand in her hand, made it happen. She had reasoned very early on that the ingredients in wands, Veela hair, Dragon heartstrings, Unicorn hair and the feathers of Phynix's were all magical beings. It was only too obvious in her mind that they, Humans, were also magical beings, merely with a vast amount of their potential power untapped. Yes magic, when first developing in young children had a possibility of popping out unexpectedly, but they were all told that they needed wands to do magic so that they repressed this natural ability. If in the battle, and someone from the order had lost their wand, this could be their trump card. A group of captives could easily turn the tables with a few muttered words.

It took a lot of mind power and concentration and many headaches but she finally did it. The more she did it the easier it became and she had decided that it would be a most powerful weapon in the eventual war between good and evil, that even this talent if cultivated and concealed could tip the precarious scales of balance. She had sworn her secrecy and easily evaded Harry, Ron and even Ginny's sporadically asked questions of her disappearances from class. Everyone else thought that it was head business anyway and never mentioned it.

Hermione was in the mood to practice. She had been going through the various charms and such and she was almost done. Having used herself as the test subject she wanted to make sure that there was no spell that she was not able to do. She decided to practice the Syril wind again. This time she started slowly, picking up the various papers that were lying around her room and organizing them into precise piles.

She began to make forms in the curtains, she made them dance and sway with her personal wind and she let it lightly caresse her cheeks. Then she made her bed, lightly swirling the pillows around to fluff them. Hermione was humming and did not notice her open door or the boy standing there until it was too late.

"I see what you mean about that Syril wind Harpy, better not try to use that on me…" Draco looked at her as she turned around. The look on her face was amusing, a mixture of shock and horror, but he could not see why until he noticed her wand sitting idly next to the doorway on her desk.

He gaped at her, the wheels in his head turning. Wandless magic, but that was impossible! No one had ever been able to…

He sneered at her, the perfect revenge roughly in mind, "Just wait till my father hears about this!" He shredded her insides with every single word.

Her world came to welcome black as the pillows and feathers that had been frozen in time around her head, fell quickly, just as she did into the abyss.

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Okay! So here is another chapter! Thank you all so much for the comments! I have like a bunch of author alerts going now ...Comment please even if it is to write something like "Popcorn!" or "kilroy was here!" I am not asking for a super intelligent deconstruction here just some love and a show that someone who is taking the time to read my story will also take the time to tell me so! Give me an account to the readers so that I may show my appreciation by reading your story's! I give long reviews if I like them!

Anyway, to all those who wanted Draco to strip or have Hermione actually through her skirt at him…YOU PERVS! (Sorry but I used my own judgment, it would not be very in character for her to do so…I did not even mean when writing that last chapter to have him over to strip for her…it was just a fantasy thing…for me…)

To Cake101: Your comments made me giggle! Thanks for being nit picky and please explain this beta thing to me! I need someone to be so!

He stripped, and it was not real! Well I am a perv too, so it suits. I was not planning on it though. I do not know how long this story will be...But anyways, Lots of Love to Goddess of Angels…. I hope that's her name. Her story Dilemma is beautiful. I hope you like this chapter! I thought the wandless magic idea was good and it will have to do with "fun" later…much later…but I read another story with it and now it seems a little lame now that I think on it more…Harry could do it, anyone can…well I just made it so they can't! By the way, anyone want to Beta? I try to get Tara to but she has lost her Internet! **GASP**! (Smiles)

Ps all here to dedicated to Tara, Root beer, Cake101 and the lovely Goddess of Angst!


	9. Flight promises

Her eyes hurt, and when she became conscious she was rather disoriented and it took her a little while to get her mind to focus on the room that she was in. For one it was morning, and when Hermione had fallen it had been fading light, and for another she was lying in the Hospital Wing. She stared at the stone ceiling as she tried to remember what had happened the previous day.

It came back to her in a flash. Draco had seen her practicing, which was pure idiocy on her part and he had mentioned telling his father. Her throat began to tense and her stomach dropped. Malfoy would tell his father! All of her hard work would be defeated because of one simple instance of carelessness. Well not if she had anything to say about it she though with her vengeance kicking into full swing. She had listened to his whining, and his stupidity long enough. They did not call her the brightest witch of her age for nothing, and Ron and Harry certainly harbored no secret desire to place themselves on her bad side.

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Fine; he could easily admit that he had panicked when he saw Hermione sink to the floor like a stone. The fact that he could easily admit this was of little importance, seeing as how he would only admit it to himself and even then it was debatable. Hermione's eyes had just rolled back into her head and she had gone down hard to lie in an awkward lump on the floor. He stood there waiting for her to leap up and accuse him of knocking her out and then telling the teachers that he had done so, and he feared that not even Snape would have believed that he was innocent when it came to her because everyone knew his views on people of her sort. So after the realization kicked in that she was indeed out cold he was stuck with what exactly to do.

He deftly went to her side and shifted her over to check to see if she would wake. She did not wake up but he now saw that her nose was bleeding and that she looked rather pale even compared to him. Oh this was just Bloody fan-fricken-tasic he thought angrily. No one would believe that he was innocent. Swallowing his pride, and the annoying voice in his head that was  
his father who told him to get an alibi and kick her before he left, he lifted her with the levitation charm that, ironically, she had taught him, he made his way to the Hospital wing by way of old and unused hall ways.

Madame Pomfrey bombarded him with questions about her state and how she got there before she shooed him out into the hall so that she could attend to the little miss. Draco was rather shocked at his good fortune; she had believed him fully and he had had the mind not to tell her about what he had seen Hermione doing before she had fainted.

'_Now _that_ was something,'_ he thought evilly.

Hermione, the amazingly stuck up teacher's pet that she was, had discovered a way to perform a magic so elusive, that the only wizards or witches that claimed themselves capable of it found themselves housed permanently at Saint Mungo's. The girl had done wandless magic, and _that _was something. He was lost in thought as he walked through the halls; this was  
something that could prove to be the catalyst that turned the war in favor of the Light. Despite who his father was, Draco was hardly well informed, but when it came to the goings on of the war, he would have to be a complete nincompoop not to realize the stirrings of something sinister.

So for now, it all came down to one question. Just what was he going to do with the information he had chanced upon?

Telling his father would, obviously, be good for him…but not so good for the mudblood. It wasn't as if he wanted to spare her, but merely that causing her trouble would cause him trouble as well. Everyone would expect foul play from him and thus he would be forced to leave the school by his father and there was no way that he was doing that. Hogwarts may be filled with people who should not be allowed to breathe the same air as him, but it was home.

Here, he had a place, and a place of power at that. If her were forced to leave, the Dark Mark would be inked onto his arm and he would lose the power and respect he had spent years cultivating. Rather than menacing threats, he would be forced to make good his word and actually kill. The thought of spilling the blood of another human—even a mudblood—made him physically ill. It wasn't so much the blood itself, but more of what it stood for…the death of another at his hands. It was unimaginable.

He stalked into the Great Hall with the air of someone who owned the place and a seat in the center of the Slytherin table was immediately cleared for him in-between Crabbe and Goyle. Over the last few summers the two boys had only increased in size and it seemed to Draco that whatever brain that they had had been watered down to make up for the excess amount of flesh. They ate like the food would be taken away at any moment and Draco's upper lip curled as he watched them inhale eggs, toast and bacon all in large splattering bites. Blaise regarded everything around him with a cool eye.

"So Draco, are we finally going to win a game against those god awful Gryffindors or should I get ready for another week of hearing about nothing but them?"

Draco looked at his friend with a blank face. "I make no promises, but I am sure the daily practices that the team has been having will help. I want to smash that Potter's face into the goal post so that he never can walk straight again, let alone ride a broom." Quiet laughter was heard at the table as everyone resumed eating. Draco had long given up constantly making fun of the golden trio. Insults were commonplace, as if they were fact and he only ever used his good barbs for when he knew that they could hear or if he had some type of plan.

"So then should I bring out that Fire Whiskey my father sent me?" Blaise asked with a wicked grin.

"You, Dear Blaise should not be hiding alcohol, and we shall drink it win or lose, either to toast to the incompetence that is Gryffindor, or to drink to their vileness.

Blaise nodded as he resumed eating his breakfast. As Draco finished eating, after having almost completely blocked the mud blood from his mind, a voice spoke up from behind him as he went to leave the Great Hall.

"A word, Mr. Malfoy, if you will?" Draco looked back to see Dumbledore regarding him with that infuriating twinkle that resided in his eyes. "This way…"

He was being led to the Headmaster's office when he realized that he would be late for Arithmancy, which, in and of itself, was no great loss. He could not deny the sly tendrils of fear that began to take hold as he was being ushered into the old wizard's quarters.  
"Fizzing Whizbees" Dumbledore said to the stone gargoyles there in front of his office that leapt deftly out of the way with the air of dancers.

Draco had to restrain the snort that threatened to burst up from that. Most of the strange people in the paintings were gone and those that were still there paid little attention to the two as they sat down. He cleared his throat and looked down at the young man in front of him. '_Oh how fast they grow up' _he thought rather nostalgically. He chuckled as he remembered Draco's earliest years of Hogwarts. He certainly was no longer the little tyrant that had been mostly concerned with the fastest racing brooms or the irate adolescent that had been turned into a bouncing ferret. Over the years, Draco Malfoy had aged and become nearly too jaded for one of his age. The thought made Dumbledore sad for the loss of youth foisted upon many of his students.

Draco tried not to squirm under the Headmaster's unconsciously scrutinizing gaze and his random chuckle. Here was a man gone mad he thought warily, unsure of what he was in for he squared his shoulders and spoke up.

"As much as I would love to skive off Madame Lother's Arithmancy class, I still will have homework to get so if you would not mind explaining why I am here and not there?" He asked with polite words and a bored tone.

Dumbledore stroked his beard and replied. "I heard that your fellow Head girl was taken to the hospital wing last night."

Draco narrowed his gaze at the old man.

"Yes, I took her there myself, if you must know."

"Ah! Good! Then you may be able to tell me what exactly happened to Miss Granger that caused her illness." This was no question it was a statement. "Could you explain to me what happened?" He asked with a merry tone.

Draco face was calm but his mind racing. "I came into the common room and noticed that she was knocked out."

"So you are saying that you found her in the common room?"

"Yes! No! I mean no, her door was open and I could see her lying on the floor from where I stood in the Common room."

"Ah I see, and then what?"

"What do you mean what?" Draco replied with sneer in his voice.

"What happened after that?"

"Oh nothing, really. I went to check on her; she was out cold so I levitated her to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey took over. That's all."

"So you did not see what caused her to faint? Was there anyone else there, or anything suspicious?" Dumbledore's blue eyes bored into his own gray ones.

"Nothing that I can think of, I just came across her and took her to Pomfrey that's all."

Draco crossed his arms. "If that is all then I should go, I don't want my marks to suffer because I was tardy."

"Alright. Ten points to Slytherin." Dumbledore waved him out. As he reached the door, the headmaster called out one final question. "You did not see her conscious did you?"

Draco turned away and replied, "No, sir. Good bye Professor." And with that, he left.

Dumbledore knew that he was lying, but about what and why he did not entirely know.

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Hermione was given the day off and after assuring the school matron that she was perfectly fine, she was allowed to go down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the game with everyone else. The light from the sky was clear and gray. It suited her mood, but a thunderstorm may have been more appropriate she thought without humor. Hermione had to do something about Draco, what exactly she did not know but she would find a way to keep him quiet.

She had suggested a memory charm to Dumbledore that morning after they had talked but he had replied in the negative on that point rather sternly.

"But Headmaster! Draco saw! He knows that I can do it, that it is possible. He may be a right twit, if you don't mind my saying so, but he is far from moronic!" she was out of breath with worry and Dumbledore shushed her reassuringly.

"Even if he did see something, a memory charm would leave a blank in his mind and that and the magical scent that the spell leaves behind would alert Voldemort immediately of something amiss. In the very least, Lucius would be able to sense it. No, we must protect this information under better means. What these means are I cannot tell you but I am sure that you can work it out. Mr. Malfoy must not be allowed to tell of this power. This information from his mouth to others could spell grave danger for you, Miss Granger and I am beginning to think that it is high time that you present your findings to the most trusted of the Order."

Hermione momentarily forget her grievances over the malicious one that she was forced to shared responsibilities with.

"Oh really, Professor? I know that I am ready, just give me a week to prepare. I only have a few more spells to study and attempt and then I should be able to make a full presentation. Very soon we can begin teaching them how exactly to do wandless magic and they can teach others in turn." Her eyes sparkled in delight at the thought of teaching others to perform this powerful magic for the greater good…and finally being able to tell Harry and Ron.

Dumbledore looked at her warningly. "But you are not to overtax yourselfagain. This is very dangerous and even though you are an exceptionally bright student, your own powers have not fully matured. We do not need you fainting in your oatmeal," he smiled, "In the very least it will make your hair all sticky."

Hermione immediately understood what he meant. She was playing with fire and too much would get her burnt.

"So in a week's time then?" He arose to leave. "And I trust we will have no repeat performances for others?" Dumbledore asked hopefully with his blue eyes shimmering.

"I promise." She said, her voice low with will. Nothing would stop her, not even the Dark Heir to Slytherin.

So here she was walking slowly up the tall stairs to the Gryffindor bleachers. Lots of people had visited her to bring her homework and extra assignments that they glanced at warily. Her teachers knew her well enough to send extra whenever she was out. Ron and Harry had both vowed to get one back for her during the match. Both believed like they always did that it was a combination of stress and having to spend time with Malfoy, whom Ron remarked, "Is enough to make anyone sick." That lead to her recent bought of illness. It slipped that Malfoy was the one to bring her here and she was too tired to argue with them when they swore that it was him and that Harry would catch the snitch and shove it somewhere unkind and that Ron would be sure to bludgeon him into a bloody pulp.

It was after this round of good natured cursing and name calling that Pomfrey heard them and shooed them out with not a single trace of mirth on her normally kind face as she dusted her hands of the two arguing boys.

They left yelling that they thought a good game of Quidditch would cheer her up, and that they promised to mash Malfoy's brain in good and proper.

The last thing she heard was Ron saying what a good relaxing stress relief it would be to do so before Pomfrey shut the doors and asked Hermione to get some sleep.

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She smiled as she heard the cheers from above. Hermione head popped into the cheering crowd of Gryffindors and she made her way over to a madly waving Ginny. The fiery red head hugged her greatly and stammered out above the cheers.

"I am so glad that you are better! This is going to be a great game I can't wait to see what they ha…" The rest of her words were drowned out as more cheering rushed forth as the players walked out onto the pitch. Harry peered up into the crowd and elbowed Ron and pointed. Both of them waved madly at Hermione who was in the front row thanks to a rather aggressive Ginny, who smiled and waved back.

Draco was in a foul mood that was not improved when he saw the person that had distracted the two wankers. Well at least she was okay, he thought before his attention was snapped to the sharp whistle from Madame Hooch as she, yet again, reminded them to play a nice clean game just as she did every time.

He mounted his broom. The soft feel of the wood beneath his palms gave him the normal shiver of excitement that it always did. Here he was truly free. Here it was him being who he truly was. Here was his war, and in the sky was where his battles were fought. The glossy wood beneath him hummed, either from magic or anticipation, he couldn't tell. Every time he climbed onto a broom it was like the first time; the air, the wind, and the world rushing by his ears in a blur of sound and flight.

He would try his hardest, as he always did. The team was second only to the Gryffindors and even though he cringed at this, he had trained with a ferocity that had consumed him over the past few summers. Now, his last year here and both he and Potter were captains of their respective teams. Granger may be the smart one, but it was here that he wanted to win. It was here that he wanted blood, metaphorically speaking of course.

All he wanted to do was win, just once, against whom he grudgingly referred to in his head as one of the better players in the school. He would never go so far as to call him the best for he reserved that title for himself.

His mind went into flight blankness as he felt the elation of being almost weightless, and then the game started. No more would he taunt Potter from the sidelines, no more would he even pay attention to the other team. He was the Seeker and he swore to find the Snitch come Hell or high water.

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Hermione cheered with and booed with the rest of the student body. She had to admit that, after seven years of watching her friends play, the game was in her blood…even if she did have a tiny fear of flying. They had improved by leaps and bounds, particularly Ron, who in his fifth year became a beater the likes of which rivaled his brothers. She watched as Gryffindor scored another goal, bringing the total to 140 to 0. She felt that the Slytherins were failing rather badly, even though they were losing without resorting to violence of any sort. All their faces held looks of deep loathing generally present when they played Gryffindor, however their disgust was aimed at their Captain rather than the red clad players gliding about the pitch. Draco was swooping in and around everyone with pleasant ease. It was then, in an instant after Draco had been looking in Hermione's direction, that he noticed a shimmer of gold below him. It was then also that Ron sent a bludger speeding his way. Gasps were heard from the Slytherins as Draco began to dive, was hit hard on the back from the flying demon sent by the smiling red head, and fell from his broom. Unnoticed, a Gryffindor scored another goal in the very instant that Draco reached out his hand to grasp the desperately fleeing Snitch. Draco's impact to the ground made even a rather joyous Ron flinch as Hermione almost felt like she could hear the crunch above the crowd.

Cheers arose as the score was tied, both sides thinking that theirs had won and the cheering died down into a confused babble and then took on the volume of an angry crowd as Dumbledore went to the podium and declared a tie. The stadium erupted in both cheers and boos but Draco was not awake to hear either.

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He awoke in extreme pain and all he could manage was a weak mew. His eyes opened blearily to see Blaise sitting beside him calmly reading a Play Wizard magazine.

"Honestly, Draco. I had to chase your fleet of admirers away until I could be sure you weren't going to snuff it. I thought that you would want some time to compose yourself…you know, in the event that you did live and all."

Draco nodded his agreement despite the splinters of pain that shot through his neck.

"Now could you explain what exactly happened?" His voice was a little raspy and this annoyed him. It would not do to sound weak. He needed to collect himself as he silently thanked his long time friend.

"The game was a tie. That idiot Creevey got the quaffle in at the same time as you caught the Snitch. That other idiot, Weasley is the name, I believe, hit you in the back with a bludger. You have broken your collar bone and your left  
arm, which is quiet impressive considering it was the one that you held, and are still holding, the Snitch in. Most of the teachers tried to pry it from your hand but for fear of causing further damage Madam Pomfrey told them to leave it."

Draco regained some sense of time and space and looked down to his arm where the golden Snitch was listlessly flapping its wings at random times. It was obviously as tired as he was. He flexed his fingers, ignoring the searing pain that flashed there and let go of the Snitch where it hopped merrily from his indented palm to flutter happily around his bed, humming.

"Shall I let in the hordes? Pansy is particularly interested to see you. I fear that they would have had to use a stunning spell on her just to pry her off of you."

Draco winced and then was silent for a few moments as Blaise blankly followed the Snitch around the room with his eyes. "Just one thing Blaise..."

He trailed off and took a breath, "Does a tie still include that bottle of…"  
The sloshing of a liquid interrupted his words. The light caught the amber Whiskey and Draco leered into its depths. They may not have won and he was as sore as hell but at least he had that, he thought with something verging on happiness as Blaise handed him the bottle. It was unspoken that it was all for the Seeker. He felt his pains fade as Blaise went to the Hospital  
wing doors and let in a mass of still cheering, some grumbling, green painted and flag waving group of Slytherins. Their cheeks were flushed and even though they did not win Draco smiled. He would take this. It may not be perfect, but it was close enough. He did not notice the pad and pencil amidst the mass of over flowing sweets, cards and presents. Draco could guess whom it was from though.

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Okay another chapter! Yes this one did not have any Draco/Hermione contact  
at all….groan, well the next will… not actual contact but meah. I apologize  
to my Lovely Beta, Cake who I told that I would send this to on Monday  
and I here it is Tuesday being written…..bows thoroughly and begs for  
forgiveness I set a schedule for myself and break it as soon as I set it!  
Bad me! Next chapter Draco and Hermione face off! I know I have them  
getting knocked out a lot and waking up again and I swear that it will  
happen again in the next chapter and possibly more…

Oh and to the person who told me that Ron and Hermione are not destined, I  
apologize, I should not presume to know anything that Rowling will write…I  
am sorry bows You wont read this anyway but meah…I just thought that I would  
get comments of people saying that Draco and Hermione were wrong and that Ron  
and her were destined, but since that first chapter I have read many more fan  
fics and see that people do not do this! Dances happily  
William I am writing more…see this is more!  
I kinda liked this chapter and I bet that I could have gone into more flight  
detail for Draco but I refrained  
Ps all here to dedicated to Tara, Root beer, Cake101 (beta Cake beta!)

Goddess of Angels, and Lauren! PSS to Cake, I know that there are lots of  
mistakes here, my computer is doing that thing where it eats up letters when  
you try to correct stuff so hopefully it won't be too terrible for you to  
read! hugs thanks a BUNCHA! PSS CAKE101 RULES! She made my story even better! Even though I need to get used to different ideas, I did not change much from what you did! I 3 you!


	10. A Little Fire

The next day, although very sore, Draco was relieved to be allowed to attend classes. The reason that the team had done so badly the previous day was because Draco had threatened them at wand point not to cheat—to which they had grudgingly agreed. They all knew better then to defy him, but that certainly did not mean they had to like it.

The day went by slowly, with him directing malice at the Weasel at every opportunity. As much as Ron hated Draco, he had felt guilt at injuring the boy and had been very close to apologizing; that is until Draco had enacted revenge on him by covertly adding Wing Worm root into his Color changing Potion during Snape's class. Naturally, Harry and Ron were accused of being unable to prepare even the simplest of brews and forced to endure the rest of class with skin that changed from a lurid bubble gum pink to a sickening shade of puce with Snape smirking sadistically at every change.

As he made his way out of the dungeons, it was Malfoy's opinion that he and the Weasel were even…for the time being, at least. The last class of the day was the vile farce that was the Inter-House Cooperation Class, and he had not had the mind to dread the experience. All thoughts of what he had witnessed her doing had been gone from his mind until the moment he saw her sitting primly at their desk reading and waiting for the teachers. A slight quiver of amusement went through him when he saw her sitting there. "Well this should be interesting." He thought smugly as he set his bag down on the worn table and sat down beside her.

She said nothing, and if she sensed that he was there she gave no inkling of it. McGonagall arrived and apologized for her lateness and began a class discussion.

"Tonight, I think our efforts would be best pushed towards a debate, or just a session of venting if you wish. I will go around the entire room, and each of you will tell your classmates a few things. I have handed out parchments containing what I wish to hear about from you and you will be given a few moments to contemplate these questions before sharing your answers with the class. Hagrid will be joining us shortly and the both of us will begin to avoid any awkwardness."

Dubious stares returned her level of sincerity. "Oh, bother…" Draco thought before he turned to read the paper.

It read, "Discuss what matters most to you, what do you like and what do you dislike. Please remember that this is not a free time to degrade people. You are warned."

Hermione was taking notes while Draco blankly watched her shoulder, thinking but not really thinking at all. The "share time" came all too soon.

McGonagall stood and smiled before saying, "Alright I will begin! Now remember you are allowed to ask or question or argue against anything anyone says. This class is so that you can learn more about each other, even if the forum is a bit nerve racking for some. I remember that public speaking was never my strong point in school so to make it easier no one has to stand but we must be able to hear you."

"Now, what matters most to me…is right here in this very room." This statement hung a bit ominously while someone in the back cleared his or her througt. "Teaching I mean, and it does mean a great deal to me." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Now I like formal teas, going to the Capchure seas for holidays, and writing essays for The Tranfigureres journal." She adjusted her glasses. "What I dislike is tardiness, laziness and people who do not challenge themselves. I also dislike He-who-shall-not-be-named, but I guess that is common knowledge."

She smiled, "Any questions?" Silence rang through out the lecture hall. "Oh come on! This is a discussion, someone must have a comment or question!"

Neville raised a very reluctant hand. "Yes, Neville? What is it?"

"Umm…you. Well you were tardy today…" The boy flushed and averted his eyes.

"Yes, and I apologize. I am sure that everyone in this room dislikes something that they do or have done, but I don't do it very often. Peeves had decided to leak water into a fourth floor hallway again and I slipped and had to report the mess to Mr. Filch."

"Alright, Hagrid if you will?"

The large half man rose awkwardly and began to read from a sheet of paper that he had prepared. "Creatures matter the most to me, an' teachin too." Snickers were heard as he mentioned beasts, you would have to be an idiot not to have know this, or possibly dead.

"I like Dragons, and mostly any other creature out there. I don' like people who are cruel to others an' ter animals…an' radishes. Thank yer!" He managed a bumbling bow before slumping back into his chair that groaned in protest but did not give way. Hagrid was relieved that that was over.

McGonagall called on random students. Ron liked Quidditch and answered truthfully that he hated Spiders.

Millicent's eyed everyone suspiciously and said, "I care most about my family. I like Astrology and I hate nosey people."

No one questioned her.

All eyes turned to Harry when he began. "My friends mean the most to me." He gave a shy smile to a few, and continued, "I love playing Quidditch, and doing magic, and my parents. I hate Voldemort and Deatheaters." His naming of the dark lord brought on the normal gasps that it always did and he calmly looked around.

"Well thank you, Harry! Any questions?" Again silence seeped into the room.

"I can see why…" It slipped out before Draco could stop it. He averted his eyes. McGonagall's head snapped up and she looked around the room expectantly.

"What was that? A comment? Anyone?" Her eyes had developed a hawk like appearance under her half moon glasses as she searched for the source of the voice. "No? Well alright let's hear from Miss Granger. If you will?"

Draco watched her as she looked down at her paper quickly then flipped it over and began to speak with that annoying self-assurance that she had.

"My family, my friends and my time here mean the most to me. I love reading and learning, vanilla tea and…" She stopped, thought something over and then continued with a harsh edge to her voice, "I, too, hate Voldemort, Death eaters, and anyone who allies themselves with such foul and loathsome excuses for wizardkind. Forgiveness only extends so far for those who choose a life of evil." Her words were almost spat out and Draco looked slightly taken aback at sharp tone Hermione's voice had adopted. That tone had matched his own whenever he spoke of hating Mudbloods and Muggles.

Blaise spoke up from in front of her. "Yes, because life is always so simple, isn't it, Granger? There's nothing beyond black and white; dark and light; good and evil. Surely you can't think that everyone involved in activities you deem evil are there of their own free will? Did it never occur to you that some people are included due to peer pressure, family ties and, in extreme cases, force? Of course not," he spat viciously, "it's not in a book! How on Earth _could _you know? Not everyone has the gift of free will to choose their destiny," Blaise paused as he looked pointedly at Harry, and then at Draco. "The fact that people could think a narrow minded swot like you as supremely intelligent is, quite frankly, sickening."

No one said anything for a long moment as they stared at the handsome Slytherin. In the last few moments, he has spoken more words publicly than his entire time at Hogwarts, and though most would never admit it aloud, they secretly agreed with at least part of what he said and were glad that someone had stood up to Hermione. McGonagall was too shocked to speak, and wore a mildly horrified expression on her strict face.

Hermione was shaking with anger. How dare he speak to her in that tone and treat her like that! "Oh yes, innocent Muggles and Muggleborns are maimed and tortured by that megalomaniac every day, but let's just forget about that and focus on how some of his followers are supposedly coerced into following him!"

"You self-righteous bitch!" Pansy screeched as she made a lunge for Hermione, only to be restrained by Blaise and Crabbe. "You know _nothing_ of the Dark Lord's methods! How dare you assume to know anything, you pathetic mudblood! To be perfectly honest with you at the risk of losing friends, I don't hate all mudbloods, Granger; I reserve that for you specifically. You walk around here like some goddamned queen of witches when you're nothing more than an overly ambitious slag that happened to fall in with Potter."

"Ah, the ultimate insult" Draco drawled under his breath as he watched the color drain from Hermione's face.

"Shut up, Parkinson!" Harry barked over the gasps and tittering of the other students, to which Pansy shrieked in laughter while Hermione was positively shaking with fury. She was quickly reaching her limits, usually she could retrain herself and one more word from the pug-faced witch would likely send her over the edge.

Through her laughter, she managed, "That's right, Potter. Defend her _honor_ she's nothing without you, you know."

Those present would later claim that time had slowed as Hermione launched herself at the Slytherin girl and connected her fist firmly to her jaw. Most males watched in morbid fascination as the two alpha females proceeded to pummel each other barbarically as wands lay forgotten. All it took was an accidental bump from Theodore Nott into the back of Ron Weasley to set the boys to brawling.

"SILENCE!" McGonagall bellowed over the fray. "Each one of you will sit down at once. Detention for each of you! Your behavior is shameful, especially yours Miss Granger. You are supposed to be setting a good example for your peers and this type of behavior is beyond unacceptable. We will conclude this session with no further incident. You have been warned. Do I make myself clear?" she finished severely and then gave them a long talk on the importance of setting aside petty differences and Inter House unity. The class resumed, while Hermione nursing a bruised elbow from having it collide with a desk and Pansy with a cut lip, also from a wayward desk; the furniture having caused more harm in the end then the students did to each other.

Even through the fights, Draco had been studying his nails, looking at the lines along his palms and the specks of ink that he had yet to wash off of his fingertips. When the head of Gryfinddor called upon him to answer the questions, a collective breath was held as the Slytherins waited for his quick wit to put those impure or traitorous in their places. The students in the house of the Crimson Lion looked positively mutinous, as if they dared him to say anything cheeky. Those of the other two houses just looked fearful.

"What can I say;" he drawled, "Naturally, power is what is most important to me. I like flying, dueling, the poetry of Dylan Thomas, Potions and long romantic walks on the beach."

There was a tense pause as a few students chuckled at his sarcastic wit. He was silent and McGonagall looked at him imploringly. "What do you dislike, Mr. Malfoy?" She knew that she was asking for more trouble but she was trying to be fair.

"Cauliflower" he answered simply, to which Crabbe and Goyle laughed low and stupidly.

"You have nothing else to say, Mr. Malfoy?" Her face betrayed her skepticism.

"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid." Draco stated finally to the utter amazement of his classmates.

McGonagall's eyebrow shot toward her hairline and she struggled to keep her mouth from gaping open, but she made no comment. Disaster had been averted. Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief and finished the class. "Now for tomorrow, I want a few paragraphs written about your partner. That is all, you may go to Dinner now."

He gathered his books slowly, earning bewildered glares from friend and foe alike. Draco was not expecting a hand to pull him back behind the stragglers and to hastily shove a note into his hand. Hermione gave him a rather scathing glare over her shoulder as she briskly made her way to the Great Hall.

A little bemused, he read the note. "Charms tutoring tonight. Six sharp. Don't be late."

He let an evil smile grace his pale features. "So tonight, is it mudblood?" He thought wryly. "Alright, tonight it is then." And he stalked off to eat and to tell the Slytherins what they wanted so badly to hear in class about the Gryffindors. It would not do to let his peers think that he had gotten soft, even if he would not have said he hated the Gryffindors. There were a few other people who he thought of with loathing, but most of them were not in that house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hermione had a plan; it was simple and to the point, and she was going to get straight to the matter. He would never believe her if she had tried to convince him that he had been imagining things, or that she did not know what he was talking about. These ideas were trivial and pointless. No, she was going to go right at him. She would threaten him; preferably with that Syril wind that he seemed to be so afraid of.

Tonight Hermione Granger planned to take Draco Malfoy, the Prince of Slytherin, head on. _'Things will be different after tonight'_ she thought with a slow smile. She could not have known how correct she was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

At 5:58 exactly Draco showed up at the classroom door with Hermione sitting in the half glow that hung there as the sun showed its last flutters of light. He approached her apprehensively.

"Now that you are here." The door shut behind him abruptly, from Hermione, who did not even have her wand in her hand and he jumped slightly. _'Alright, now she is not playing fair, but two can play at that game and I have been playing it that way since the day I was born.'_ He thought as he watched her.

"I can get down to the lesson." Her words were normal but her voice was cold and scratching. "Sit." She demanded.

"I prefer to stand, Granger." He strangled out her name.

"I am your teacher while you are here and I am telling you to sit down before we begin the lesson!" Her voice began to rise. He looked at her wickedly. _'Well here I go,'_ he thought gleefully.

"I don't have to listen to a stuck up mudblood bitch like you! I will tell my Father everything and there is nothing you can do to stop me! You are not the boss of me! If I had things my way I'd…"

"You'd what, Ferret boy? Well things aren't your way, they never will be your way because you are just a sniveling stupid little worm compared to your father, even if he is a Deatheather at least he has some form of intelligence. You will never compare to him!"

She went on. "All you ever do is what people expect of you. You have no soul, and you are the worst kind of evil. You are the kind of person who licks the Dark Lord's boots because he is too afraid to do anything else. You, Draco Malfoy, are nothing!"

His calm almost made her flinch.

"Too afraid am I? Nothing am I? If I had things my way I would do thisss…" He raised his wand and uttered, "IMPEDIMENTA! CRUCIO!" and to his slight surprise she fell over on the desk with a look of pain on her face before she became unconscious.

'_Great! Now you've done it, you fool'_ Draco thought; knocked out the Head Girl, best friend to the Infamous Scar Head with a curse from Voldemort's new how-to book.

At first he stood there, again waiting for her to arise and hex him into oblivion but there she lay, a mess of frizzy hair and sharp angled shoulders, her wand nowhere in sight so, of course, it would look like he had attacked her when her defenses were down.

His survival instincts kicked in and he ran…straight into the barrier that still held around the room and he fell onto his back, hard. Draco lay there for a long time, a little dazed and now a little calmed. It was not a question of what would his father do in this situation; from now on it would be what will I do? Having already ascertained that running is not an option, he began to wonder what _he_ would do. Not Lucius, but Draco. Father would likely beat the girl into a pulp and then cast an invisibility charm on himself for the morning and wait for someone to dismantle her charm so he could make his perfect escape. Draco consoled himself with the thought that at least she wouldn't run to Dumbledore the moment she woke up. Blackmail is a wonderful thing, and having that bit of invaluable information about her new powers would definitely aid him in his future endeavors with Hermione Granger.

So what was plan B? He arose slowly, letting the dizziness and pain wash over him like rain before he turned to the girl. Draco carefully lifted her up and placed her on the desk and then took off his cloak and shirt. He bundled up his shirt and put it beneath her head, careful not to get his fingers tangled in her wild hair and then he casually covered her with his cloak.

The classroom did have a fire place so he dragged the desk over slowly with her on it trying to make as little noise as possible and then lit the fire with his wand. The curse caused very little pain but it rendered the receiver unconscious for at least two hours. This was one of the spells that he had glanced over before getting to the more harmful and nauseating chapters in the back of the books of Purification, and for some odd reason it had stuck in his mind, having never heard of it before. He never thought that he would have been using it though, in the very least on the Mudblood.

He watched her face in the firelight and sighed. He was in deep shit whenever she chose to wake up, he mused, but he might as well enjoy the silence for a while. Hermione's nose had began to bleed again and she awoke to a smell that was very different then she was used to but familiar all the same and to feel someone lightly dabbing at her upper lip.

"Uhh…" She breathed out slowly. Hermione could hear someone move quickly and then silence. "Malfoy?" Silence.

"I know you are there, now tell me why my head is spinning…"

"I hit you with a curse." He said simply without any emotion in his voice.

"Right…Now hand me that wet cloth." She sat up slowly and the world whirled.

"Your head will only hurt for about another ten minutes…and then you can report me."

"Huh?" She asked squinting at him before a wave of nausea over took her and she began to fall off of the side of the desk.

Unthinkingly, Draco stepped forward and caught her before she toppled over. He just stood there with her in his arms and she in the onslaught of dizziness and pain clutched her arms around his bent form, her hands in fists and her nails digging into her palms.

Hermione gasped out a lash of pain and then he lifted her up back onto the table and held her as her convulsion subsided. Her eyes were red and held tears. "What did you hit me with?"

"A curse of my…umm father's. It's new, but it will cause no lasting damage." He retained his cool demeanor even thought he was petrified about what would happen to him. In the silence of the room while Hermione had been knocked out, Draco had come to a few decisions. First, he had decided to allow her to report him, he even resentfully admitted that he deserved at least detention for cursing her. Secondly, he would not tell his father about the Mudblood's power. It was getting to the point where, if he told Lucius, he would be angry at Draco for having withheld the information for this long, so Draco was essentially saving his own skin as well as the Mudblood's. This small act of defiance thrilled him, and he became slightly concerned at what he would do to obtain this feeling again. These choices were good ones, he felt; although he certainly wouldn't share them with the now conscious girl before him. In order to maintain the upper hand in their, he shuddered, relationship, it was essential for her to think he'd run to Lucius at any given moment.

Hermione slowly raised her head and then when she noticed that he was holding her dropped her arms from around him. Strangely missing the comfort. She softly shock her head, and came to her senses, but still leaned against his shoulder as he sat beside her on the desk in front of the fire.

"It was supposed to be you the one getting hurt tonight" Hermione said glumly. If Draco was surprised, he didn't show it. He had had a feeling that she was going to try to intimidate him. "I was going to threaten you," she said miserably. "You can't tell about the magic, alright?"

Something about the pleading tone of her voice made his chest clench uncomfortably and he nodded.

"It really is a big deal, isn't it?" He said staring at his hands. The hands that held the wand that could kill, the hands that almost did in a fit of anger. He felt so disgusted with himself. Draco was not prepared for her next question.

"Can I blackmail you?"

"Huh?" Regaining his composure, he spoke more eloquently. "Blackmailing, Granger, isn't a very Gryffindor thing to do, now is it?"

"You cursed me with an unknown curse that, despite what you say, could cause a multitude of problems. Tell no one of what you saw that night, and I'll never breathe a word of the curse."

He quickly tossed the idea around his brain and was satisfied. "Alright," he replied as they reluctantly shook hands.

Hermione quickly stop leaning on him and glanced around the room. "Why are you still here?" She asked him suspiciously. "I would think that you would have been long gone by now. Were you waiting for me to wake up so I could throttle you and then we'd both be in trouble?"

"Something like that," he said with a roguish grin. Inwardly he cringed at the look on her face, and the room became a little colder. "I tried…I tried to leave but the charm…" He gestured casually at the door. "The charm held even though you were knocked out. That is really is some spell, and seriously, discovering the way to do wandless magic."

He sneered. "Potter and Weasley must be so proud."

She snorted at this statement. "I'm sure they would, but they have no idea"

"What? I thought that you guys knew everything about each other, straight down to knicker size." She glared at this. "Right bloody friend you are, keeping secrets like this."

"You are one to talk about how to treat people, Malfoy. I have my reasons and we all have secrets. You can't expect me to believe that you share everything with your precious Slytherins?"

He stared into the fire letting the flickering flames take hold of his thoughts.

"Speaking of which, why don't we complete those stupid paragraphs McGonagall assigned us for tomorrow, eh?" Draco stood and walked slowly over to his bag, gathered it and looked around for hers that she had put on a bookcase to one side of the room. He handed over some paper and quills and she accepted them wordlessly.

"First thing…full name."

"Hermione Jane Granger"

"Yours?"

"Draco … Malfoy"

She turned to look at him as he fiddled with his quill. "Don't you have a middle name?"

"Itsadn."

"Pardon?"

"Its Aidan!" He repeated.

"Well there is nothing to be ashamed about! It's a normal name compared to your first." Hermione coughed.

"Hey! I like my name and that's not why I…Oh never mind!" He crossed his arms and fumed. Hermione looked at him, wrote the name out and then realized why he was upset.

"Your initials spell out...DAM!" Hiding her grin she moved onto the next question while thinking how appropriate that was.

"Age?" "18"

"I'm 17," he replied a little sullenly, even though she refrained from gloating.

"Biggest fear?" '_Well that is a loaded question,'_ she thought and they sat there, not speaking while both thought about this and what they would be willing to share.

Hermione knew what her biggest fear was. Her nightmares were haunted by visions of her classmates being killed by Deatheaters and, possibly even worse, by students that she had gone to school with. Hermione was terrified to think that her friends or people that she knew may one day kill each other. There really was no way to describe this fear but she tried, stammering. Honestly, he had agreed to keep the colossal secret of her wandless magic, surely she shouldn't be nervous about something as trivial as this.

She steeled herself. "I am terrified of the day when I won't be able to save my friends." He looked at her. "I can see them die in my dreams and I can do nothing about it. That is why…with this new magic…I…well I hope to help them." She avoided his face and made little stars in the margin of her parchment.

Draco felt something inside of him shift. Hermione had told him something like this and it made him respect her just a little bit more. She was trying her best to confront her fears and to protect the ones that she loved and he could not even do a thing about his own terrors.

"Well at least you are trying to do something about it." His gray eyes stared into the fire with a consuming look of being hollow.

"You can…you know, do something about your fears…Draco." He looked up at her took a deep breath and let the words spill off of his tongue like water bursting from a damn.

"I am afraid of my father, everyone looks up to him but I know what he really is. I am afraid to fight against what I am to become, but even more afraid to let it all happen. I cannot do anything at all! Don't you see?"

His face became contorted in anger. "I am just their puppet and if I tried to be myself, or stand up to them I would be cut loose. I would be killed…"

Her eyes held her sadness and he turned away from her to gather his books.

"Are you running again Draco? You can't hurt me anymore then you already have, tonight at least, so stay! We are not through here!" Her voice rose angrily.

"Alright! What do you want from me Granger?" He stormed back over to stand by her side, fists clenched tightly, chest heaving in anger.

She recited the last question on the list aloud without looking at the sheet.

"What did you learn about your partner and how are they different to you?"

He glared and retorted with malice. "I learned that Mudbloods are evil bastards who don't know when to keep their noses out of other people's lives! But oh wait a second, I have known that for years, and you will never change. Now get this damned charm off! You can't keep me here forever!" He yelled at her.

"We are still not through…" She said tensely. "I learned that Draco Malfoy is more then what I thought he was…he is still a right twit, but beneath that horrible exterior lies someone who is just as frightened if not more so then I am. I learned that Draco does in fact have a heart, a cold one but it is still there and that we are not as different as I thought we were. I learned that Draco is funny in his own, slightly caustic way, and that he quotes Nietzsche." She rose from the desk handed him back his shirt and cloak because in his t-shirt his looked to be shivering, but whether it was from cold or anger she was not sure, and then gathered her books, removed the charm and went back up to their dorm with the form of Draco following her like a ghost in body and reactions but with tangles of thoughts tripping through his mind that each silently urged him to say good night to her.

He shut his door without a word, anger gone but what it left in its wake was more terrible then anything he had ever let himself experience. That night Draco felt the bittersweet tendrils of guilt and sadness stroke his heart.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hey Cake! SEEE! Almost ten pages! I am a crazy girl! I could not for the life of me find Draco's middle name and Aidan means…ahhh goes to look it up…again….the little fiery one, or help, or little fire! Lol, I wanted to use an name with I so that his initials spelled Dim but I think Dam is better.

Anyways for those who don't know,

Insipid means…lacking significance or impact

Megalomaniac is a Pathological egotist…these are some words that I had to look up the definitions for because I did not know their meaning! Carla is so smart! And see I learn stuff too!

Dylan Thomas writes poetry…ahhh I had to look him up also and Nietzsche is a German philosopher of the late 19th century who challenged the foundations of traditional morality and Christianity. Yes I copied and pasted that from a site…I do remember learning about him vaguly in Highschool so yeah….This just goes to show how much more learned Draco and Hermione's characters are compared to me!

Carla my Caka Beta is the best! She added such great stuff! Like reworking the good and evil debate. She did and does wonders for the mysterious Blaise, and the end bit with Draco thinking about blackmailing her…THAT WAS BRILLIANT! You are GREAT! I cannot wait to write more, and I hope you can stand a chapter a week…we shall see what happens and thank you to whoever read this and the story!

PS Dedicated to Jaru, Goddess of Angels, Lauren, CAKA BETA CAKA, and as Always Punny-chan, Tara who makes me happy!


	11. Out of your Mouth

N.E.W.T's

Four little letters, which represented four words that would be the bane of  
many students' existences, were arriving very quickly. Hermione had been  
preparing since her third year at Hogwarts and around this present time many  
of her peers were rapidly requesting her help.

Instead of her normal chastising lectures about being prepared and having  
proper study plans laid out, she suggested memorization of the most likely materials and a thorough grounding in all areas of study. Her nights were filled with group study  
sessions, which she didn't really mind, because even though she did know a great deal of the subjects the review never hurt. The halls were filled with bleary eyed seventh years that looked on edge and ready to cry and the constant expounding from the teachers about plans for the future and career options that lay open to them did nothing to improve their mood.

Harry, naturally, wanted to be an Auror, but no one saw problems in this, as this training would be beneficial for when the time came for him to face Voldemort. Ron was looking into jobs dealing with Quidditch despite his father's letters trying to convince him to study to work for the Ministry. Since all of Hermione's professors assumed she had her life mapped out, they paid her no special attention in this matter; Hermione felt a little lost, so she ignored this by throwing herself into study. Another Saturday rolled around and Hermione ardently refused Ron and Harry's insistence that she visit Hogsmeade with them. As she made her way up the corridor to Flitwick's classroom, she began to feel the weight of it all. It was true that she flourished under pressure but all the studying was beginning to wear her knowledge-tempered mind.

"Well," she thought languidly, "At least I can dictate this lesson to Draco,  
I don't need to read a thing." Malfoy was sitting on a chair beside the  
teachers desk slumped over with his head on his crossed arms and his eyes  
closed. Quietly she crept up to him and poked him in the side. His eyes flew  
open and he grunted in surprise groping for his wand.

Hermione did not even allow herself to hold in the laughter as it came out  
of her in masses. Sitting down, she attempted to calm herself and  
apologized.

"You have no business sneaking up on people and waking them up. It's  
positively beastly of you!"

"Aww, is the ferret upset because I scared him and woke him from his nice  
little nap?" She laughed mockingly. "You will get no sympathy from me. Some  
of us have the sense not to stay up all night doing god only knows what,   
instead of sleeping."

"If by 'god only knows what,' you mean studying, than you're right, I have no sense. I'm exhausted and am just as devoid of sense as you are, now quit wasting my time  
and let's review so I can have a full meal before I lock myself away to study. Perhaps I will even get more than two hours of sleep tonight?" He glared at her and rubbed his cheek to get the blood flowing there again.

Hermione rolled her eyes and began. They were nearing the end of their  
review sessions and tutoring, as the end of the year approached. Flitwick  
had congratulated her on a job well done, with his mark now being on the way  
to the top five but the teacher and tutor agreed not to tell Draco exactly  
how well he was doing until after NEWT's. Today they had managed to complete their review early, and Hermione demanded that they look up some new charms to learn until their two hours were finished.

Amid the torrent of schoolwork and mind numbing review, there were  
occasional letters from his father asking specifically about the heinous  
trio. Like always, he made up some nonsense about suspecting something was up  
with them. He reported hearing strange noises from behind Hermione's door and that Harry looked especially eager as of late. Nothing he ever sent, if it was truthful, was completely accusing, and Draco hoped that this was just some spot of anxiety on Lucius' part over the impending graduation and not evidence of impending battles.

He let these thoughts filter out of his conscious mind as he lazily turned  
the crackling pages of a charm book. "What about this one?" he asked after  
skimming over the paragraph and coinciding description.

"_Vox Vocis Commuto_…. hmmm, I have never tried that one before; the act of  
throwing your voice." She raised her arms to attempt the spell, but the book was snatched from her and rather than an incantation, she let out a cry of indignation.

"Yes?" Her eyebrow quirked from hearing his mutterings.

"I think that I should be the one to do it!" He glared, "I found it!"

She gave a sigh of desperation. "Alright how about a compromise; we will try it together, alright?" He placed the book between them and they held out their wands, and with a swish and flick, said the words in unison.

They stared blankly at each other. Neither felt any different. Both said  
"ahhh…" in unison and gave the other a confused glance.

"Well, that was rather anti climatic," Hermione drawled in a bored tone as  
she clapped her hands over her mouth which started mumbling loudly beneath  
her fingers.

"What in the Bloody Hell was that?" Draco said in an accusing tone and then  
squeaked in a very feminine way.

The muffled voice beneath Hermione's palms became louder and Draco stood up  
and yanked her hands away from her mouth. "…NOTHER ONE OF YOUR STUPID  
MISTAKES! BLASTED GRANGER, WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS TIME?" Hermione yelled in a deep voice, one much lower and angrier then she normally spoke in.

"ME? You were the one who found that silly spell!" Draco said shrilly. "Oh  
move over!" He said as she pushed him aside and snapped her eyes to the  
spell that they had just preformed.

"I knew it you Gryffindors are all just a load of idiots…" Hermione's mouth  
said indignantly.  
"Hey!" interrupted Hermione with her words coming from his mouth, "Head  
Girl here! Top of the school and what not, I don't mean to brag but I am a  
very smart witch." Then he began to giggle and laugh almost obnoxiously and  
added, "Sorry, it's just so funny to hear you say that you are a witch!"  
Draco interrupted her by saying, "Oh this is just grand! Just wait until the  
teacher find out that you've gone and switched our mouths…" Hermione frowned as this  
dripped like honey off of her tongue.

"Look here," Hermione said, her words still coming from Draco's mouth, "It  
says something." She flipped through the pages while he hovered above her  
with clear disdain on his face from having his words come out of her mouth  
and having her annoying laughter and speech come from his own.

He leaned over to read the page where she pointed but she read aloud  
anyways. "There is a warning not to do the spell both at a close range with  
another person, or at the same exact time. Not only can the performers have  
their words put into another's mouth but also their entire heads switched.  
Well I guess we are rather lucky…" His voice saying her precise and calm  
words sounded strange.

"Oh yeah, real bloody lucky, Granger, Now can you reverse the spell? Your  
horrible pronunciation is giving my mouth a cramp." She said crisply.

"Okay for one, my pronunciation is as good, if not better than yours you inbred prat; and two, have you learned nothing? You can help you know!"

He glared at her but it seemed to have lost its potency. The next three  
hours were spent picking apart various charms and spells and rejecting  
suggested ideas.

"Well, we have exhausted these books…why don't we go to the library? Most  
people are in Hogsmeade and I think we can get there without anyone  
noticing." She suggested in his tired drawl.

"Fine." He said and stood to collect their books.

She went to leave and bumped into the invisible barrier that still stood  
around the room. He laughed and she gave him an icy stare before he held out  
a hand to help her out. "Not so funny now is it?" He asked mockingly from  
her mouth.

Draco began to mutter out the incantation while Hermione made the wand  
movements and she stuck out her foot to test the barrier. Her foot met solid  
resistance and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh HELL NO! Try again, maybe you  
did it wrong!" She quickly repeated the spell, and again her foot met the  
barrier.

Draco began to pace back and forth with extreme fever and then lunged at it  
banging his fists against it while Hermione stood and watched him blankly  
and said some words that even she did not know, which made her blush.

"So, does this mean that we are stuck in this bleeding room until Monday  
morning?" He asked as he pointed a finger accusingly. His mouth moved but  
Hermione made no sound. She was slightly frightened of his rapid change of  
mood and just stared while her voice and his words yelled back at him while  
he began pacing again and yelling more.

"Ahh…Draco?" His voice whimpered, "Could you stop yelling, it's starting to  
hurt my throat…" He looked away from her, seething and crossed his arms sullenly over his chest.

"Is it still possible to do any magic?" She began to do the swish and flick  
with his low tone accompanying her actions. Nothing happened.

"No magic, no spells, no way at the moment to turn us back to  
normal…Do you have any food?"

He looked at her in outrage. "At a time like this and all you can think  
about is your stomach? How idiotic can you get?" She walked up to him and  
pushed her finger in his chest painfully. "If we are forced to stay here  
then we will need food and water! I can survive for two days without food  
but neither of us will be in a good shape come Monday morning without  
something to drink. So calm the fuck down, and try to be more pleasant so I  
don't have to kill you and eat your pathetic carcass to survive this  
horrible experience. I don't like it any more then you but we need to stay  
BLOODY CALM!" His voice came out shrill at the end and he had to refrain  
from covering his ears. He was startled out of his tantrum because from the  
look in her eye, it seemed like she was having one in her head and looked as  
though she really would kill him and eat him if necessary.

Draco gulped and tried to smile, but failed horribly.

"I have a bottle of Fire Whiskey in my bag, some sun flower seeds and three  
sandwiches." She looked at him in surprise but this was an automatic  
response, she really was not surprised at all that he drank. But really! He  
was Head Boy, piss poor example he was setting for everyone, well not that  
he was really someone to look up to. This last thought was too much for her  
and she brushed it away by saying, "Good, well I have two bottles of water,  
a couple of cauldron cakes and a bag of sweets."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Four hours later saw Hermione lying on her stomach in front of the  
fireplace reading a book and Draco lazily spinning himself on the teacher's  
chair. He had been doing this for about twenty minutes and honestly he was  
going a little mental.

How she could read and study with a slight smile on her face in the face of  
this grotesquely boring ordeal was beyond him. Yes, Draco did have a secret  
passion for reading and he would rather run around the Quidditch pitch stark  
naked then admit this, but that she was taking this so calmly was unnerving.  
He stopped the chair's rotation and leaned a bit to the side as the room  
continued to swirl and move around him, while his eyes tried to focus.

Absentmindedly he began to hum and was amused to hear his humming coming  
from Hermione's mouth. She looked at him questioningly and he stopped.  
Turning the page she resumed her reading and he began to sing a filthy limerick he had heard in the Slytherin locker room after a particularly fun practice. "There was a young fellow named Simon, who tried to discover a hymen, but he found every girl had relinquished her pearl in exchange for a solitaire diamond!"

Her face contorted strangely and she ripped off her tie and shoved it in her  
loudly singing mouth. Draco looked at her indignantly and then began to toss  
crumpled up bits of paper at her head. "Oh will you grow up already? You are  
acting like you a child!" Draco's mouth said, and he smirked and gestured  
to her.

She groaned and removed the tie. "I am a big know it all who has no life and  
is more pathetic then a flobberworm and smells like bobotuber pus!" Her mouth  
said happily before she stuffed the tie back between her lips.

"I cannot believe you! Could you be any more moronic?" She went back to the  
book fuming and now unable to concentrate with Draco watching her with that infuriatingly impish smile. Draco stood up, teetered a little and after steadying himself went to her side and pulled at the tie. Hermione squawked as he wrestled it out from its place. She stood and he held it as if it were a dirty thing and then tossed it over his shoulder.

"I am completely bored out of my mind! Can't we, you know, talk or something?"  
He asked, sounding out softly in her feminine tones. She huffed and sat down  
on the corner of the table. "I would but it just is too weird having your  
words coming out of my mouth and my words coming out of yours…it gives me  
the creeps, honestly." She shivered and he laughed.

"Please?"

"Okay FINE! What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh I don't know," he shrugged and heaved himself onto the table and sat  
Indian style. "You think of something."

"Okay how about your Father?" She grinned evilly as his face went blank.

"This was a bad idea; I don't want to talk to you anymore so just shut up." He turned away from her.

"Oh, no no no no! You don't get out of this that easily! Come on! I will  
compromise, we can play truth or dare but without the dare part." She added  
hastily.

Hermione could tell he was listening and after a silence he said, "Go on…"

"Well it's a muggle game, with two options. We each take turns and choose  
truth or dare and if you fail to do what you are given you are forced to do  
something horribly embarrassing or be called a chicken, but we don't have to  
do the dare part; just tell the truth."

"How do you know I won't lie? It sounds pretty stupid to me…"

"We will have to trust each other, and I promise you I won't lie." She  
stated with total sincerity.

"Alright, I agree." She smiled and hoped up on the table across from him and  
mirrored how he was sitting.

"Now, what happens if one of us refuses?" He asked looking decidedly evil.

"When they find us, hopefully intact and sane on Monday, the one who refuses  
to answer has to take the full blame, and own up to having that bottle of  
Fire Whiskey over there."

Draco said, "Not enough! I am adding the clause that the loser has to plan  
the rest of the Graduation Ball by themselves and be the other person's  
general slave for the end week of school."

Hermione paled noticeably and shock her head in agreement. "But no funny  
business, okay?"

After wining at rock paper scissors, Hermione began, "I will start with  
something easy, and work my way up." She smiled evilly and said, "What is  
the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?"

Draco's snort could be heard through her mouth and he said, "That one is all  
too easy, that entire lame Ferret Fiasco with Moody."

"No! Something that I don't know anything about, something before Hogwarts."

He watched her and then cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well? Out with it!"

Draco looked a little hollow as he began, "When I was five, my Father took  
me to Blaise's father's house for supper. After supper, when Mr. Zabini and  
my father went to his study to talk, I went outside with Blaise. It had been  
raining a lot that week and his garden was completely muddy. I slipped and  
almost dragged him down with me. He ran and hid in the house and I proceeded  
to play there alone. It got late and my father began to look for me. I was  
cold so I went inside and when I saw him standing in the hallway with Blaise  
and his father I began to growl and chase Blaise yelling, "I am the Muddy  
blood monster! I will eat your brains!" He, of course, was scared out of his  
wits, from leaving me alone for so long he thought that he would get in  
trouble or that I would hurt him and he took off without a second thought.  
Then I rushed at my father to give him a hug. He was not very impressed."  
Hermione was cracked up and laughed until she got the hiccups.

"Oh HAHA! It's all funny now! But my father did not let me visit there again  
for three years! This is all strictly between us right?" He asked timidly  
making Hermione's voice seem mouse like.

"Yes! Definitely!"

"Okay, your turn." His gaze began to make her uncomfortable and she fought  
the urge to tug on her hair and flatten her skirt.

"Have you ever slept with Potter or Weasly?"

She almost choked on her tongue and spat out, "That's absurd! They are my  
best friends! That would be like you sleeping with a brother, like Blaise or  
one of your pathetic cronies!

"So what's your answer then?" He asked. "NO!" and she blushed firmly.

"Well that was a let down…Have you ever thought of it?" He smirked at her,  
increasingly enjoying this game.

The look on her face was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. "Like a  
brother, eh? You have a pretty interesting take on the morality of sibling reality. So  
which one was it? Was it the Hero of the Wizarding world, or his Trusty  
side-kick Weaslebee?"

"This is a one question, per turn type of game!"

"Just answer the bloody question and next time around you can have three  
questions alright?" She huffed and said slowly. "Yes I have thought of it,  
and…"He motioned for her to continue. "ahhothoffhem…" She coughed.

"Excuse me? I did not quiet catch that."

"Both of them! But I would never…well it's a natural thing! Guys think about  
it all the time with lots of girls. You cannot honestly say that you have  
never thought about it with some of the girls in the school!"

"Sure, tons! But it is so much funnier hearing you say that you have had  
fantasies about your fellow musketeers. You really should have seen your  
face."

"Okay my turn, three questions…"

"Ah no, you already used one, you asked if I had ever thought about some of  
the girls in the school in a sexual way and I answered honestly."

"Alright," she said through gritted teeth. "Two questions, who have you  
thought of?"

He hunched his shoulders and began, "Hannah Abbott, Eleanor Baddock, Katie  
Bell, Susan Bones, Lavender Brown, Emma Dobbs, Marietta Edgecomb, Gillie  
Fawcett, Angelina Johnson, Sally Kincaid, Elaine Hornsby, Carla Marino and the list continues. I will admit that I think about it just as much as any male wizard."

He looked at her surprised face smugly and waited for her next question.  
She looked at him and said in the calmest voice she could and with a  
straight face.

"Am I on that list?"

He instantly lost the confidence that he had moments ago and avoided her  
eyes.

"Yes, I assumed that it goes without saying. A girl is a girl and my body  
knows that better then I do. It doesn't always care what blood line the girl  
is from, but I would never stoop that low. A good roll in the hay is one thing, but I've never been inclined to roll about in the mud." (AN: Yes he does! Literally… o )

She forced the hurt from her face as he glanced slyly out of the corner of  
his eye to see her reaction. It suddenly occurred to him that being eaten wouldn't be a good thing; then he shook his shoulders, releasing the tension there and cleared  
his throat. "Okay, what is your most embarrassing moment?" He asked trying  
to change the heavy mood.

"Oh that's easy! When I first got my period." She would have laughed at his  
expression if she had not still been thinking of his earlier biting comment.

"Do you want me to continue or should I get the Fire Whiskey for you?"

He laughed and said, "Continue but first that dratted bottle."  
He fetched it and took a big swig and came up coughing and sputtering, with  
his face decidedly pinker then it had been before. As an after thought he  
handed the bottle to her and she matched his swallow evenly, and came back  
without as much as a sputter. Draco was impressed.

"So go on…"

"I was at Hogsmeade, in fifth year with Ron and Harry. I had read all that I  
could of wizard books but does it mention feminine hygiene in a single one?  
Of course not! So there I was, in the loo at Honeydukes, absolutely sure that I had been stricken by some horrible curse and was in the process of dying an agonizingly slow death, when Harry and Ron come charging in after me. I didn't realize I had been gone for so long—but when they found me, I was crying my eyes out and whispering under the door that I was bleeding, but I was too embarrassed to tell them exactly _where_. Harry was trying to coax me out by saying that we could get a bandage for it, and that it really couldn't be all that bad. When Ron threatened to blast the stall open, I screamed out, in rather crude language, exactly where I was bleeding from. One of them fetched Madame Hooch who was in the store buying Dumbldore some Bat Gummies and she explained it all to me. They didn't say a word on the way back to school, and neither of them looked me in the eye for a couple of weeks, but they eventually got over it.

He began to laugh and her eyes opened wide at his reaction. "Well, there it is." Hermione spat.

"I honestly don't think that that was that bad, I mean, if your fellow guy  
friends cant take a little thing such as that then its their problem not  
yours." Draco frowned. "Honestly, I don't find that sort of thing that bad  
at all. It happens to all women and unless the two of them plan either to be  
single the rest of their lives or they plan to shack up with each other, its  
something that every man will have to deal with. They are the ones at fault  
for making you feel uncomfortable about something that is perfectly  
natural."

Hermione gaped at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You are the last person I would expect to be well so mature about something  
like that…" Draco rolled his eyes and said, "Your turn."

She took the Fire Whiskey, and after taking a large gulp and flushing asked,  
"How far have you gone?"

Draco gestured with his hands and after seeing her bewildered expression,  
"How far in what exactly?"

"With a girl I mean." She blushed firmly but held eye contact with  
conviction.

"Well if you truly want to know…ahhh…"He looked away and mumbled out, "Not  
very far." She waved his attention back to her and prodded.

"How far is not very far? Be more specific…"

He glared at her coldly and said slowly, "I kissed Pansy the night of the  
Yule Ball and besides that nothing…"

He shifted uncomfortably as she asked, "Why? From your reputation with the  
girls you seem to be on all of their top ten lists, besides of course the  
Slytherin thing."

"Really?" He looked amused, "Besides not wanting to father a bastard son and  
not having met someone that I like enough there is the little issue of my  
Father." He stood to stretch his arms lazily above his head and was silent.

"What does your Father have to do with it?"

"You know, I think that we are beyond the one question per turn rule."

"Stop avoiding the question. Besides it was the topic of him that brought up  
this discussion anyways."

He almost growled at her, which would have sounded extremely strange coming  
out of her mouth, but he let his mind calm and then he vented at her.

"My Father will most likely choose a proper pureblood bride for me to marry  
and I don't really want to find out that some loose girl I slept with has—how can I say this—gone missing? I am holding out so that no one gets hurt, I only hope that I will be able to stand whoever he chooses. God! I can't imagine spending the rest of my bloody life with someone like Pansy. Hey, don't get me wrong, she's a nice girl and all that, but I think that after a few months one of us would end up dead."

She looked at him sadly, her smile gone. "I am sorry, that's really not fair" he waved away her words and she said, "…your turn…"

He blandly asked, "How far have you gone?"

"With a girl? Well I kissed Ginny once." She laughed at the startled look on  
his face.

"You WHAT?" Her voice squeaked.

She held her stomach while she laughed which sounded horrible coming from his mouth and this made her laugh even harder.

"Oh, COME ON?" He frowned in surprise and stopped her from falling off of  
the table. "Don't cut out on me now! Details!" Her Draco voiced giggles  
died down and she took a deep breath.

"Last year she wanted some kissing techniques, it was nothing special. I am  
all for the boys and it was strictly a tutoring session."

"That some type of tutoring session! So, all in the name of academia, right?" She smiled and replied honestly. "I have only kissed one boy and that was not…well I did not want to and he sort of came at me out of no where."

Gesturing with his hands again he asked, "Details!"

"Well…it was Victor, when I went to visit him a few summers ago. We were on  
a beach, a very cold beach, and after he had swum he just returned to me and  
wham! It only lasted a few seconds and afterwards he spent the entire time  
apologizing. I always knew that he liked me but I was really surprised. I  
truly don't know why Ginny thought that I would be qualified enough to teach  
her any techniques but she had threatened to tell Harry and Ron about this  
so I went with it."

Taking another swig of Whiskey and whipping his mouth roughly he waited for  
her next question.

"Are you a death eater or are you going to become one?" This was the first  
question she had thought up but she had waited till she was more sure that  
he would not go and refuse to play. Hermione hoped that he had enough drink  
in him to answer.

Draco's face darkened. "Well obviously no…they checked the school."

"You are telling the truth aren't you?" She stared hard into his grey eyes  
that could not seem to stay in one spot and a slight twitch that had arisen  
above the left corner of his mouth.

Tentatively she prodded more, "Are you going to become one?"

"Why do you fucking care so much? You nosy bint, I don't have to tell you anything!"

"I just want to know if you plan on killing fellow students and submitting to the whims of that halfblooded fool. Because if you are, not only will I cease these tutoring sessions, I swear to you that I will make your life miserable. But if you're going to run round with that git's mark dug into your arm like a brainless twit, then I can see why you'd be reluctant to tell me." Hermione fought back the urge to slap him as he started doing his weird deep breathing exercise and she got off the table and went to stare out the window.

His words came out softly from her mouth. If they hadn't of come from her own lips then she wouldn't have been able to hear him at all.

"Its not by choice…I will be killed…I…if I…I don't become one."

Hermione turned to him viciously, "You could do something! Tell Dumbledore, he will help! You do have friends here who will protect you, if only you ask."

"What will I be then, Hermione? Hidden away, a traitor, waiting for death  
and merely becoming a worthless and useless wizard with no path? What do I  
do? What can I do? Everyone expects me to be so and if I go against my father they will all think that I am some type of pathetic spy. I just can't…" Her voice shouted  
at him.

She walked up to him promptly and slapped him, hard and he faced her blankly  
as his cheek began to turn red. "Did anyone ever tell you that you hit like a girl?"

He snickered, and she grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Wake up you idiot! You have a choice! You can do whatever you want to! The  
true question of what type of man you are is what path you choose. Do you  
want to take the one already laid out for you? Or do you want to make your  
own path? Thousands will die and you are complaining about what label you  
will get if you choose our side? Are you even human, Malfoy? Or have you been  
turned into some dark beast by your vindictive father? Don't you even feel  
anything? Do you even have a soul?"  
Her mouth opened to make his reply but it was cut short when the classroom  
door swung open and there stood Professor Flitwick looking surprised.

Hermione was standing still gripping Draco's upper arms and her face was  
flushed.

"It's rather late! Are you too still studying?" He bumbled over to his desk  
and Draco smoothly swiped the bottle of Fire whiskey off the table and  
tucked it discreetly down the back of his pants and covered it with his  
shirttail.

"Yeah, still studying…" Hermione's voice called out Draco's words.

"Well you should hurry unless you want to miss supper; most of the students  
are back from Hogsmeade now." He rumpled his brow and said, "Oh! What a  
charm! Did you put up this barrier charm, Hermione?"

"Yes," she answered with her voice coming out of Draco.

"Oh you did it Draco! Well that is even more impressive! You are lucky to have such a fine tutor." He collected a pile of papers from one of the drawers.

"Yes, well," Hermione said thinking quickly, "I am not so sure on the counter  
charm, do you think that you could do it for us? We have a lot of books to  
carry." She waved her hand at Draco to collect the books and he handed her  
filled bag as Flitwick smiled and said, "Oh! Alright, but it would be best  
from now on if you only did these types of spells under Hermione's careful  
watch. Who knows what kind of trouble you may get into if you are not fully  
read up on a particular charm?" He smiled, mumbled and flicked his wand and  
it felt as though a weight was lifted from the room.

Hermione and Draco had to refrain from dashing out of the room ahead of the  
smiling teacher. They were silently walking down a hall on the way to their  
dorms when Harry and Ron stumbled up to Hermione, and missed seeing Draco  
completely. They began to ramble on about what fun they had had and give her  
a large bag of sweets. Finally when the two of them had run out of breath  
and after telling her that they needed to rush to eat supper, Ron paused to  
ask. "So how was your day?"

"You have no idea." Draco replied slowly through Hermione's mouth before they  
left. Ron glared at Draco who was oddly silent before laughing and running  
off.

Upon reaching the common room, Hermione turned to him and said, "You, me, in  
the Library tonight. We have to get this off or we go to Dumbledore about  
it. Unless you have any better ideas then I will see you at nine tonight  
outside the Perfects bathroom." She turned on her heal and left him standing  
in the common room. When he heard her door shut he returned to his room and  
acted upon the first impulse he had.

If he was going to be miserable, then so would she; with that he launched into a raucous verse of Weasley Is Our King. Unfortunately, the enjoyment he had hoped to gain wasn't there, and the song did little to block the thoughts from his mind. Draco felt utterly lost—which quickly turned to annoyance when she began reading aloud from a particularly boring charms text in a rather exaggerated Texas drawl. Sighing, he stopped his singing and went to lie on his bed, feeling numb yet startlingly aware of his steady breathing that contradicted the war of thoughts and emotions raging within him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

This chapter is dedicated to Carla, who I put in Draco's list of girls that he had thought of….laughs. This is my largest chapter to date and I think its so because of all the speaking….groan. Tara I hope you get to read this all someday and to Jaru! MY lovely golden flower who has the best smile in the world, I hope you liked this….and I want to make the future writing more angsty…lol. Hint hint, what happened here will happen again, but it will be very different…lol….Lots of love to Carla Beta Caka Beta the Besta! **does a silly little dance** and now to stick this up on the site!


	12. Shoelaces

The research that they did that night came up fruitless. Hermione was far from willing to try any of the reversal type spells that either of them found on the pretenses that they were incredibly dangerous or idiotic.

There was one, The Dungolucious spell that somehow would switch their mouths but Hermione truly preferred her own lips to Dracos sneering mouth. Her eyes wandered over to his face and the usual sneer was replaced by a faint look of concentration as he read over a particularly musty tomb. Hermione's thoughts began to wander around how his lips weren't actually that bad when they weren't hurling insults and she quickly dashed this train of thought away. The night was uneventful and both awoke Sunday morning to find that they had fallen asleep in the library and that the perfects from the younger grade had had to cover for their absences in patrolling the hallways. Both were frustrated, sore from sleeping at tables and very grouchy. The day itself mocked their cutthroat mindsets by winking cheekily at them with bright clean sunshine and a pleasant breeze.

This wind ruffled against their hair through an open window as they spent the entire day reading through dusty tombs. Draco had hidden behind the couch when Harry and Ron had come in to visit Hermione. The following hour was nerve racking as she waited for Draco to start being horrid to them, but, to her surprise, he responded in a way quite similar to how she would. Though she had been impressed, it was the end of the conversation that brought her the most worry.

"So Hermione, did you get those History notes on the Green Fairy wars yet?" Harry looked at her very sheepishly. "I know, I know, I slept through his class on Friday again….I am sorry, I really will try harder next time okay, Herms?" Hermione stood and Draco voiced out for her from behind the couch, "Well next time, at least try to stay awake for ten minutes. If Neville can manage that then at least the Famous Harry Potter can do the same…."

Ron and Harry looked at her, mouths open, and then turned to stare at each other before bursting out laughing, "Hermione, are you channeling Malfoy or something? I mean seriously, I know it's a terrible effort to have to spend so much time with the great git, but honestly, do you hear yourself?" Ron said plainly before the two of them burst out laughing and Hermione smiled weakly, she knew what was coming up next or at least she thought that she did.

"Sorry, I guess I have been working too hard, that "git" you referred to is working just as hard as I am and I really need to keep up so do you think that we could talk later? I would really hate to fall behind such a sniveling and pretentious prat like Malfoy there, who only ever does what people tell him and is a worthless shell of a human being and does not deserve to live." Draco's words drawled out. Again Harry and Ron just stared at her.

"Hermione what has gotten into you?"

Draco was dumbfounded as he listened to the following conversation.

"It's usually you who stands up for the ferret when we poke fun at him but now you want him dead? Either you have been working too hard or he did something horrid to you…." Harry trailed off and Hermione cringed inwardly. _'Oh great,'_ she thought.

"Did he hurt you, Hermione? Because if he did I will hex him so bad that his own parents wouldn't be able to identify him." Ron stood up and glared around, "Where is he? Let me at him!" He stalked to the portrait wand drawn.

Hermione rushed forward to dissuade him from leaving. She was mentally telling Draco to say something but nothing came as she goggled at Ron who looked at her with worry. Silence from her was heard as Harry and Ron rushed to her side.

"Hermione what's wrong? Tell us!" Harry peered into her face as she slowly walked over to the couch and fell over the back of it dramatically so that she could hit Draco soundly on the head. Awoken from his stupor he got into the act.

"Oh no!" she said dismissively, "Draco hasn't done anything…hasn't even said a word to me in days, actually. I am just _really_ stressed with the Newt's and everything; I really should rest you know? Take a bubble bath or sleep…" Draco started to ramble and the boys each gave her a hug before leaving. Ron left last and before he did he pulled her off to the side and said, "I am really worried. I know that you will do superb on the tests, but I think that all this stress is too much for even you, the super witch." He smiled and turned beet-red. "I only want what's best for you, Herms, and I just want to see you happy." He squeezed her hand before exiting out of Madame Monicles portrait.

Hermione turned to see Draco sneering at her from behind the couch as he walked around and gracefully flopped down onto and picked up a book. "I think that the weasel has an itty bitty crush on the book worm." She reddened and he began again.

"I think that he wants to take advantage of her, do lots of naughty, bad things to one of his nearest and dearest friends…" His eyes flashed. "I think he wants to F…"

His words were cut off by Hermione who said, "Enough! I don't want to hear any more! Until we figure out how to change us back we need to cooperate and I won't have you driving me insane!" Draco's mouth shrieked out.

He smirked and Hermione held herself up proudly. "Now since we have not found anything at all I say that after rounds tonight we go straight to Professor Dumbledore to get this nonsense reversed!" She sat down heavily on one of the plush armchairs and began to rub her temples and mumble. Hermione was doing it unconsciously and Draco picked up every word.

"Completely absurd! Not only is he made Head boy, but I have to tutor him and partner with him in that stupid inter-house cooperation class and plan this ridiculous graduation ball. And on top of it all he is the one who is closest to me in marks…" she let out something low that sounded suspiciously like a growl…"and now we have this spell on us, which is entirely his fault anyway! Ah, why do I put up with him?" Sighing she stretched and tried to pull her hair into a ponytail with the elastic that practically lived on her wrist and she stopped mid-pull when she heard him voice.

"Because I am just too damned sexy?" Her mouth purred and she looked up to see him glaring at her.

"You were right! I am stressed! I need a bubble bath or something…and yes I was taking my frustration out on you, but it's not like you can't take it…" Standing she walked slowly over to her room and called back to him.

"You can keep reading or you can stop if you want. I think that we are supposed to patrol at nine tonight so do what you like until then. I would not suggest going down to supper though, unless you either want me to randomly insult Harry or sing Weasley is our King over and over and over…" he could feel the laughter in her tone and grimaced.

"No, Granger I will just have it sent up here. You can have whatever's leftover."

"Oh, Joy!" Said his sarcastic voice.

Hermione stalked by with her bathrobe and some old things to change into clutched in her arms. She made her way to the Perfect's bathroom that was thankfully empty with everyone being down at the Great Hall eating supper.

She did feel guilt at saying those things under her breath but she had been griping about him for years now. It was done to his face more often of late and she did not think that he had been hurt by her words. "You could not hurt someone with no heart," she thought sadly as she lowered herself into the purple shimmering bubbles of her bath. The only sound was that of the water gently lapping at the sides of the large tub. She had chosen a smaller one because the larger pool like tub always made her feel lost. She wanted to relax and bathe, not swim laps. She began to feel the tension leave her shoulders as she mulled over their situation.

It seemed as if fate was forcing them together, but one thing that she did not understand was Draco's dropping marks in Charms. He was far from stupid and after going over a spell once he knew it as if he had been doing it for years, which he had. The more she thought about it the less sense it made. Professor Flitwick had shown her his marks of previous years and they were always in the top five of the class.

Her thoughts swirled like water over the rough clear stones of fact. Draco had always done well in Charms until this year. It was their last year and he had been made head boy. After Graduation he would be…." Her eyes shot open wide in horror. He had been faking the entire time! He was going to his father about her and her friends, and he was going to tell him about the wandless magic! All of them were in danger now because of her and her shock and fear blazed into a vengeful rage.

Jumping out of the bath and almost slipping on the tiled floor she hastily yanked on her clothes and stalked back to their tower. He was going to pay.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Draco had decided to change into something more comfortable and after wearing the same clothes all night and day he needed to at least feel cleaner if he could not use the bathroom. He chose a pair of plain pants and a white shirt and began to peel off his wrinkled clothes. Draco had just sat down on the corner of his gray comforter to take off his socks after removing his pants when Hermione flung the door open and leaped at him.

"Jesus, Granger! Couldn't you knock?" Her mouth said in surprise, "What in the BLOODLY HELL?" She had pushed him roughly back onto the bed with her hands forcefully around his neck. Little droplets of water came down her wet locks of hair and dotted his bare chest as she screamed at him.

"YOU BLOODY LIAR! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I BELIEVED YOU OR EVEN TRUSTED YOU, YOU FILTHY LITTLE DEMON! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! I WILL TAKE YOU TO DUMBLEDORE AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU BECOMING A DEATH EATER AND THEY WILL LOCK YOUR SORRY ASS AWAY BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN BLINK!"

Draco's shock was evident on his face as well as his fear and confusion. He was not used to being man-handled and this was really all too much. He shifted his weight so that she fell onto her side and he pinned her down and she gasped.

"So are you going to kill me now is that it? Well I fucking hope that it was worth it! I hope that all the blood you spill won't weight too heavily on your mind at night. I HATE YOU!" His voice cried out her words at her in hurt tones and his face was one of horror with his mouth slightly open. Both were breathing heavily and he found that he was shaking with his hands clamped down on her wrists above her head. Hermione felt it too and even though she was still in the fire of rage a thought of doubt flickered up in the back of her mind.

"Alright!" He growled out at her in her own voice and then pulled up her wrists with ease and pushed them back into the bed unkindly, just to reaffirm that he was the stronger of the two. "Now, if you would just calm the fuck down and please tell me what you are blabbering on about now? Because I haven't the foggiest idea of what you are accusing me of."

"You—are—a—liar!" she clipped out at him.

"Yes, but I don't know why you've suddenly become so angry of the fact! I always lie, I am Slytherin after all." He grinned but it left in its place his cold mask as she glared at him.

"Now what exactly did I lie about?" Her wrists were beginning to hurt and she squirmed and he tightened his grip almost painfully.

"You Jerk! You were faking all along! You never needed Charms tutoring! You have always done well before and you were failing just so that you could get close to me and learn my secrets and now you have or will go to your evil father and tell him about the wandless magic and they will have me killed! But I promise that I won't go easily and if I have to I will come back as a ghost and haunt you and drive you to bloody suicide!" Her eyes had welled up with tears and even though her words sounded without hope her face was still defiant.

He laughed at her. "Is that all?" He could not stop laughing and as he chuckled she saw her chance and swung him off of her onto the floor with a thud and then put her hands to his throat again.

"…w-wait! Wa-it!" He breathed through end trails of laughter and lack of air.

She eased up on her hands but she still kept a firm grip. Why in the hell was he laughing? Was he already part way into insanity? She wondered before he began to talk.

"I promised that I would not tell and I have kept my promise! He knows nothing! Well at least not from me, because I have not spoken or written a word to him about it! And as far as me failing Charms, I told you already that I black out during the classes and I honestly could not remember one Charm from another. I thought that you had believed me, well believe me now or go ahead with the strangling, because murder of a fellow Head would look great on your transcripts." He sneered and she responded coldly.

"Why should I believe a liar?"

"Because I am not lying now! Yes it was me who spilt ink on you shoes last month, and not your stupid cat and yes I did eat both of the deserts for tonight but I know you don't like blueberry pie anyways and I left you all of the chicken! I swear BELIEVE ME!"

Something in his tone made Hermione's grip loosen slightly and she just stared at his slate gray eyes. His face told the tale of complete honesty and Hermione felt very confused. She was even more bewildered when she realized that she had attacked and strattled Draco while he was mostly naked and she gulped as she quickly pulled off of him blushing.

"You really are a little spit-fire when you want to be, you know that, Hermione? A right bloody hellion." He said as he rubbed his sore neck.

"Well something has to be going on! Blacking out in class is not a good thing!"

Her eyes widened as an idea dawned on her. "Draco, do you think….."

He heaved himself up onto his bed and held out a hand to help her up beside him.

"Draco, when exactly did you start not being able to retain anything from the classes?" She asked with her eyes discreetly staying on his face as she turned to him. _'Could he be bothered to dress himself? Honestly, the boy has no sense of decency,'_ she though while fighting the blush threatening to creep over her cheeks.

"Well it started after Christmas; I had been getting good marks up to that point and when I came back I just thought that I had lost some interest in the class when my marks began to slip so I tried studying after school, or even getting Blaise to test me but nothing would stay in my head when it came to Charms. My brain would almost block it out, even if the simplest word about it came out in conversation. I would go all blank and McGonagall even took me to Snape thinking that I had some sort of bloody drug problem because I was spacing out in her class rather frequently."

"Ahh Draco, do you think that someone cast a spell on you? Do you think that your father may have done this without your notice just so you would have to get closer to me?"

He stared at her with eyes unseeing as he processed this new concept. He did remember his father being very adamant about the new black suede shoes he had gotten him for Christmas, that he should wear them everywhere because they had a self cleaning charm on them and that they were very expensive. He would have ignored them except that he was rather fond of them; they were really comfortable and damned near indestructible. He even wore them to the Quidditch games for good luck.

"Do you know a way to tell if there is, some sort of spell, I mean…" His voice was weary as he stood to pick up his beloved shoes.

"Yes! Of course! Oh yes Hermione, thinking that this is a good way to review charm detecting charms," she said sarcastically as she took a shoe out of his hand.

"Suede?" His voice came out slightly mockingly.

"Hey! They are really nice shoes!" Her voice cracked out indignantly.

Hermione laughed as she raised her pant leg to show him a pair of tan suede slip-ons.

"I need to get my wand from the bathroom. I rather left in a hurry."

He scoffed at her. "You forget your wand but remember your clothes, you are beyond strange." Hermione ignored him and as she left his room called out, "And put some clothes on! We have to patrol in ten minutes!" Draco laughed as she left and he hopped into his pants and tried very hard not to think about how confusing it had been to have her jump him and hold him down. Yes he had been afraid and startled but there were other emotions that flashed through him that left him more confused than scared.

When Hermione returned she saw him poking his shoe with his wand on his bed looking bored.

"Alright, the incantation to see the more rudimentary charms or curses is Kiyorothi Sa-Fjuki, and with the third and eighth wand movements. Now you try…" She sat down on his bed and he followed her instructions flawlessly. Nothing happened.

"Okay if that did not work then the next one to see more advanced charms is Heri-Halack, with the same wand movements."

"Say is Hearee- Hoolackah, with a hard K at the end."

"Yes, _Professor_," he replied sarcastically.

Again nothing happened and Hermione just stared at the shoes for a very long time. After a while she said, "I wonder…"

She quickly took the shoelaces out of the shoes and set them on the bed and asked, "Can I try something?" He nodded and she proceeded to explain the spell.

"This is one of the more advanced detection spells, Professor Moody taught it to me last summer but it won't be taught in the school. He learned in Auror training in his third year." She smiled sheepishly.

"Why Hermione! I am shocked! The pure nerve of it!" She frowned and then recited, "Hgnuu tree fung, Harl tray lintoski." With this accompanied a few of the more delicate wand movements and Draco watched as his shoelaces began to glow dark green.

A thin reedy voice began to say in a whisper, "Grantfundai Charm, Pleasance Charm, Funneling Charm, a Traidun Spell and a Sedume Charm, no curses."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are those?"

She looked up from the now normal shoe laces and said in a plain voice, "Grantfundai is a word charm that makes your mind black out whenever you hear a certain word. It's probably the word Charm but its not affecting you right now because you are not wearing the shoes. It also is set to gradually wear off over time so that it would look like I was actually teaching you things. A Pleasance Charm makes it so that you are more pleasant to people, that was probably directed at me, the funneling charm takes certain thoughts and makes them leave and the Taidun spell makes it so that you can think these thoughts and retain them when alone or with another person." She avoided his eyes.

"And what about the other one? That Sedume Charm…Is it something really bad?" He asked with worry.

Hermione stood up and started towards the door, "Its nothing really bad but you probably don't want to know what it is." He ran up to her side and said, "What?"

"Well look it up you lazy devil!" She said before hurrying away to her room to dry off her hair that was beginning to frizz at an alarming rate.

Draco frowned and went to his Charms text book. The definition of the Sedume charm was, "A subtle charm that causes slight feelings of admiration or attraction to the person that it is placed on. It has to be directed to a particular person and this person may experience dreams or have moments of overwhelming emotion directed towards the other. This is the lowest form of a love spell possible and can only be dangerous if the person that it is directed to has had feelings towards the other before the spell has been cast. Then it can turn into a Hartilkag level love Charm, see Hartilkag for further details."

Draco flipped to the index to find the page that it was on and after reading it began laughing. It said that the person it was directed to could develop large blue spots all over their feet and may deflect the entire love spell onto the person it was originally cast.

Draco could not decide if he was horrified or highly amused. His thoughts flashed back to when Hermione had shown him her suede shoe and then small blue dots that had placed themselves around her ankle. Breathing deeply he wandered out into the hall to wait for her. When she came around the corner her face was a mask of bland and he now felt almost completely certain that he had been seeing things. _'I most certainly am _not_ feeling any sense of admiration toward her—and even if I did, there's no chance that she's ever felt anything toward me other than an intense loathing…and that's the way it should be,' _he thought ruefully as he wandered down the Ravenclaw hallway to catch two students huddled in a corner together.

He made them feel horrible before stripping away too many house points and sent them back to their towers. Now this was something that he enjoyed. The idiots in the younger grades had been warned about him and with a mere glare he could have them shaking. Draco truly loved this power and could easily understand why Snape had built up a very horrible persona for himself in order to do this kind of thing. At ten thirty he met Hermione in front of the stone gargoyles that led to the Head Masters office and after saying, "Cotton Candy" the statues leapt aside to permit them entrance.

There was a fire lit in the office but not a single sign of the Head Master. The light was dim over his old tables that were covered in trinkets and opened books and notes in strange languages. A few of the professors in the paintings startled awake at their entrance and watched them curiously as they peaked around the doorway.

Hermione called into his private rooms but silence was her reply. She looked at Draco then noticed a note on his desk. It was basically a complexly coded request that called for Dumbledore to spend the night at Grimmauld Place. "Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said in a shaky voice, "We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him."

Both were moody and wordless as they made their way back to their tower.

Draco spoke up, "We can meet him first thing in the morning, maybe even get up early and wait for him in his office?" He had a defeated look as he turned away to close the door to his room.

"Good night," she said to him from his mouth. He whispered the same to her after a moment of silence.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He crawled under the soft gray covers and after trying very hard not to think about everything that was going on between him and Granger he drifted off to sleep. Hermione, however, was having no such luck. She stared blearily out of one of her moonlit windows as her thoughts floated dismally in circles.

Draco Malfoy was the first person she had ever hated. He was the worst type of human, if you could even call him that; he lied constantly, viciously put anyone down who did not measure up to his obscenely high standards, and did so remorselessly. Everything he did came off as remorseless, and she remembered when she thought that he couldn't be in possession of a soul. He went around doing things for personal gain or pleasure without a second thought about anyone else—save for his precious father.

Lucius Malfoy had, in fact, produced the perfect copy of himself in looks and personality. Draco's one goal in life was to please his father, and it was utterly beyond Hermione's realm of comprehension to grasp why someone would want to prove themselves so desperately to a man as cruel and terrible as Lucius Malfoy. All these things she had easily thought before this year. The year in which she and many Gryfindors were shocked to find out that Mafoy Jr. had been chosen over Harry and some other very qualified seventh year boys to become Head boy.

Okay so Harry, Ron and her all knew that Harry could not be Head Boy because it would put him in too much danger and he almost seemed relieved when Dumbledore told him this. He also needed to spend spare time working with Snape and Dumbledore on the Occlumency. The rest of the school was shocked into silence as the two of them went up the head table to be officially addressed as Head Girl and Head Boy. All had feared the worst for the two, with everyone thinking that by the end of the year only one would still be alive. The first week had been fine. Both were consumed in schoolwork and getting adjusted to their new dorms and it wasn't until the second week that all hell had broken loose.

It had started when Draco had walked into their common room to find that Hermione had plastered the room in text books and papers. She had been wandering furiously amidst stacks of scrolls muttering and taking notes for the past two hours after supper because she had gotten a breakthrough in her wandless magic research.

He had become furious at her for messing up the common room and she had returned his anger with equal fervor. It was theirs to share and she was offended that he thought that she would leave it as it was. Hermione casting a Gribleton Hex on Draco and him casting a Munty drow Curse on her decisively ended their argument. The end result of which saw the two of them in the Hospital ward, Him with an extra set of arms that had a mind of their own and her developing bright orange scales and breathing out green foul smelling smoke whenever she laughed or smiled.

Dumbledore had given them both very chastising lectures about being good role models for the rest of the school and then he gave them both a choice to talk out between each other, while they lay still in their beds side by side in the hospital wing.

Drawing up to his full towering height between the feet of their beds his voice came out gravely. "I will give the two of you a choice: Either you decide to keep up with this petty grudge that you have harbored for far too long, and I will not hesitate to strip you of your Head badges. Or you can act like the mature young adults that you are and tolerate each other. You must live and work together…surely mere civility isn't too much for you both to handle?" His gaze softened after a moment of silence.

"The two of you were selected because of your natural leadership abilities. The students do look up to you, each in very different ways, but I thought that I could count on you both to behave more like the proper wizards that I hope you are and not like first years that you are acting like. Now I will take my leave, and you have one hour to reach a decision. Let me remind you that if there are any lingering doubts as to whether you'll be able to cooperate, you will have to reach a mutual decision, for I don't feel it would be fair to allow one of you to stay on as Head should the other choose to hand in his or her badge. You are in this together, and I feel compelled to tell you that this is the first time we've had a situation like this—even Percy Weasley managed to avoid being hexed by his fellow Head." He left without a sound and closed the door with a snap.

For a long time neither would speak, because both were too upset at each other to say anything besides insults. Then Hermione croaked out, "If we are expelled I promise to make your life a living hell."

Draco coughed as his extra hands twiddled their thumbs, "As if you could ever do any thing to hurt me, mudblood."

"Do you really want to get expelled? I bet your father would be so proud."

He glared pure venom and replied coldly, "I would be sent somewhere else. I can get into any school in the world."

Hermione rolled her eyes and just came right out and said it, "Amazing what money can buy…but I am willing to try to be civil with you, if you even understand the meaning of the word."

"Civil. Definition: Not rude; marked by satisfactory or especially minimal adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others." He looked thoughtful while one of the extra hands scratched his head. "It's an interesting concept. Alright, mudblood, I except your apology, just don't let it happen again." He said and one of the extra hands went out to make as if to shake her hand and Hermione edged away.

"I did not apologize you prat!" She growled and the hand went up and gave her the middle finger.

"What are you so scared of? They were your creation after all and they really are quite harmless."

"Well it's just odd to see an extra pair of arms growing out from your shoulders; I'm a bit squicked, is all."

"I actually quite like them! I am not saying that I would want them permanently, you know, but I could think of some fun that I could have with them…." Draco trailed off and watched in horror as one of the arms snaked around his back and gave his butt a pinch.

Hermione howled in laughter at the look of complete terror on his face as he tried to fend the hands off as they attempted to do only god knows what. This caused her foul smoking hex breath to come out with a vengeance and Draco looked up at her with a look of disgust on his face and he said, "Bloody hell! Shut up, Granger! Warn me next time because that is simply vile!"

Dumbledore chose the exact moment to walk in when Hermione was trying to help Draco hold down one of his extra arms that was still struggling to pinch him again and she merely hoped that this was all that it was trying to do as one of his hands was preoccupied with holding his nose and the other his other struggling arm.

Hermione was still laughing so hard that a foul-smelling green fog was hovering about the room and Draco was too afraid of the roaming hands to comment

The Headmaster quickly raised his arms all the windows in the room flew open and then muttering an incantation two pieces of leather binding sprang up out of the air and tied and hands down to his sides. Draco breathed in a giant breath of fresh air and Hermione immediately sobered up.

Dumbledore gave them an appraising eye and then said, "So have you two made a decision?"

They both nodded and Hermione spoke up, "We will stay and work it out. I promise you will have no more problems from us." At least that you will find out about she added in her mind while he nodded his agreement.

"Excellent! Now let us have a look at those arms Draco, my boy, they seem to have some very interesting ideas of their own, don't they?" He added with a twinkle in his eye as he bent over them and began to mutter out the counter-hex.

Madame Pomfrey hurried over to Hermione and forced some rather nasty tasting potions into her before she was sent into a deep sleep. She awoke, in her own room, scaleless and when she laughed all that happened was that she coughed slightly and her throat was sore. _'I will make this work if I have to kill the little bastard to do it,'_ she thought with vengeance.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was that dream again.

He had been having the same dream for years.

In it he would awake in a very dark place. He would stand up and then a sudden feeling of dread would wash over him. Someone was watching him and wanted to do him harm. He could always hear his heart beat like a drum, like the tick of a clock counting down the minutes to something horrible happening. Blindly, He would run through his darkened and dank dreamscape but no matter where he ran or how fast, the noise was always there. He would begin to cry out, but his pleas and screams became distorted, the sound being thwarted by this unknown evil, they were merely weak bursts of pointless effort, and they would fade away echoing into the abyss.

Then he would fall. It always seemed as if he had been running forever but he always fell and at that moment when he finally turned around into the grayness that he knew that he was without hope. Darkly robbed and faintly glowing with malice and evil intent stood the one person who he feared above all others. And he would wake up sweating with the tail end of a scream on his lips and panting.

This time though it was different. With mounting fear he did not wake up immediately and the hooded figure drew back its swirling darkness around its head to reveal the pure source of his mortal fear.

Draco awoke with a fresh scream tearing through his sobbing throat. He was so disoriented that he did not realize that he was not alone in his room in his first moments of waking. He was clutching painfully onto Hermione. She had been a little confused to find that she was saying things and pleading and screaming out Lucius' name when she realized that Draco must be dreaming and talking in his sleep.

She had quickly gone to his room to tell him to bugger off when she looked onto Draco's slightly trashing form. He looked positively delusional with fear, and Hermione was even more confused to see his eyes wide open and glassy while he looked unseeing into his nightmare. The blankets were damp with sweat and his hands were balled into tight fists as if he wanted to do something but was unable. Hermione knew that it was unsafe to wake someone from a nightmare but she went to his side quickly as the pleas for his life became louder and she sat on the edge of his bed.

His moans were silenced and all became quiet as she watched his body become rigid on the bed. She thought that his nightmare was over and moved to rise from the bed to go to her own room, but Hermione's thoughts were cut short when he screamed and shot up in bed, shivering. On instinct, she reached out and held him and he clutched onto her tightly while she rubbed his back slowly. He was positively shaking in fear and Hermione knew right then and there in that exact moment that she would have to revise all of her previous thoughts about the Prince of Slytherin. People change, but she knew that he had not done so. It was her view of him that had changed and it was not that simpering little adoration spell that had been cast on his shoelaces by his father for her.

She had seen Draco as a person and she felt utter sympathy and sorrow for him.

His shudders died down and he pulled away; ashamed that she had seen him in such a state of weakness as the tears twinkled over his face in the light from the moon. Draco hung his head and waited for her to say something but the silence was kept. His unease grew and he flashed a look up at her.

Hermione sat in perfect anguished patience as she waited for him to start. There was no way that she could make the first move here. She only wanted to hear what he was willing to tell her and it would not be right for her to try to pry anything out of him.

"It was me…." He said in her voice weakly, "It was my father….I….think…it was …me. I don't know! I just don't know any more!" He sobbed dry. Allowing the sound to come and his face to contort but he would not allow any tears. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Her voice yelled at him with his words.

Hermione sat and watched him. Draco the Ferret, Malfoy the Coward, Malfoy the Bully, Draco the Deatheater's son, Draco the vile, the horrid, the wicked.

Draco the Human being; just like her.

Hermione put her arms around him slowly and, even though he twitched and grew tense under her touch, he did not pull away. She could feel his heart beating beneath his bare chest and it was the only indication he gave of being alive, of having emotions, of being human. She held him, to comfort herself as much as him and then she whispered in her own ear.

"I am here for you. We all make mistakes but I swear I will always be here for you. You are not alone…..Sweet Dreams Draco." Her tone upon ending was sad and she arose and walked back to her room and softly closed to door.

"Thank you." Passed timidly across her lips from him lying motionless in his room and she smiled before she let sleep flow into her mind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Okay 'nother chapter! Man I still have so much to write! I hope I can get it done in a month but I am not counting on it….I know that I could probably make the story like ahh one….fixed…two….grad….thee….that….four….more of that…….five….free….six….aftermath……seven….more aftermath…..lol yeah about seven more chapters! Wow….that would be nice! Hey Carla? Is this chapter okay? I kinda liked it but it rather ran away with me….the dream bit is to be credited to Justin who is a real person that read my story….this amounts to three people I physically know that read it…..lol, well then this is dedicated to Carla Beta Carla or course, Tara who will hopefully get around to reading this…..to Jaru who is CUTE, Me because my feet are cold and to Justin! And yes you should write too! Stop putting it off! Procrasinate today! Bye Carla…till next week same bat channel same bat station…..SEVEN MORE? What am I thinking? groan A.N. Update…Justin wrote two chapters of his story already! GO READ BECAUSE IT IS BLOODY BRILLIANT……His author name is Expressive Silence and the story is called Secrets between friends….. Hey Jaru! Read and review his because I know you will if I ask nicely…its not much and he is a really talented writer so support him! Because I think I am the only one who has commented on it….it would be nice if Carla and Rootbeer did the same but hey…..no pressure! Laughs….so Justin tell me what you think?


	13. A Masquerade

A.N last chapter I forgot to start out saying that Hermione and Draco's words are still switched. When he talks his words come out of her mouth and when she talks her words come out of his mouth. They speak in each other's voices and have no control really over what the other says short of shoving things in their mouths. I was rather proud of this idea and yes it is just another silly ploy to get them to be around each other more……giggles.

Now keep this in mind at all times! Yes confusing and slightly amusing…..

Now on with the show or whatever this thing is……..

OoOoOoOoO

With the morning came two bleary eyed and sluggish Heads ambling down the  
corridors of Hogwarts.

The two walked quietly and tried not to draw any attention at all to their  
persons. It was six in the morning and although the number of students and teachers stirring about the school was at a minimum, the thought of having to attempt conversation through the other's mouth was highly unappealing.

It was too darn confusing.

The exhausted teenagers gave a sigh of relief when they arrived without a hitch and they silently scurried to Dumbledore's office. On the way they met a very pristine looking Professor McGonagall, who regarded them shrewdly from beneath her petite spectacles.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, but if you are looking for the  
Headmaster he is currently out of Hogwarts on personal business, and will not be returning until at least lunchtime today. Is there anything in particular that I could help you with?" She clasped her hands in front of her stomach and waited with pressed lips for  
an answer.

"No!" Draco's mouth said quickly. "We will just wait till then. It was  
really not that big of a deal, and thank you very much Professor!" The two of  
them rushed away with frustrated thoughts.

"Can't he bloody well be at the school when he is needed? What idiotic type  
of business would he have outside of the school anyway? I thought that this  
was like his entire life." Draco snapped out bitterly through her lips.

Hermione knew that he was just frustrated but she could not restrain herself  
from lecturing him about Dumbledore.

"He is a great man and I am sure that whatever he is doing is important for  
everyone. Try to be a little more trusting, because I am sure that he is  
helping people in far greater peril then us. I trust him, and so should you,   
Malfoy."

Just then Harry walked by talking to Neville and he looked at Draco oddly.  
He paused and then whispered to Hermione.

"Why is Ferret boy talking to himself? Has he finally lost it?" Draco began  
to walk ahead a little and a giggle escaped his lips and Hermione clamped  
her hand over her smiling mouth as Harry regarded Draco in confusion and  
apprehension.

"Harry, I have to go eat some breakfast so I will see you in potions  
alright?" Draco mouthed out for Hermione.

"Sure, and can you lend me your notes for Wednesday's class? I left mine on  
the Quidditch pitch and they got rained on." His emerald eyes looked at her  
pleadingly and she nodded profusely. She watched them go down the stairs to get to the class early. The two heads turned to look at each other as they walked down to the Great Hall amidst the half-asleep students milling about.

"Alright, we just grab something quickly and tell the people at the tables  
that we are in a hurry for head business. You can go or I will and just get  
some toast or something portable like that. The other will watch from the  
doorway and if anyone talks to you just say you are in a hurry. If someone  
tries to detain you, fake a stomach ache and try to get out of there as  
quickly as possible, okay?" Hermione voiced out in his clipped tones.

"So do you want to go or shall I?" She asked as a small group of second  
years parted in front of the two Heads.

"I will…" He said quietly.

Draco merely nodded and looked away with a blank face. They reached the  
towering doors and he walked into the Hall amidst the sneers and whispers.  
She watched from the corner of the large oak doors as he stepped over to the  
centre of the table and reached over Goyle's massive shoulder and grabbed a  
few slices of toast and a banana.

Blaise looked up from his cereal and raised a questioning eyebrow to Draco.

"Where were you all weekend, man? Pansy, Sarah and I waited for you for  
hours. The girls really missed you…especially Pansy. I swear if she was any  
more head of heels for you, she would be permanently walking on her hands."  
Blaise began adjusting his school tie and watched as Draco merely shook his  
head and said, "I am sorry, ahh…Blaise? But I am in a hurry, I will talk to you later….."  
Blaise was stopped cold by the unsure and humble tone that Draco used. His  
eyes narrowed as he watched Draco shuffle quickly away and huddle behind a  
couple of Hufflepuffs as Pansy walked by oblivious to him.

Something odd was going on and Blaise wasn't sure that he really wanted to  
find out as he saw Draco dump some toast and the banana into the Head girl's  
hands while she looked at him in disdain and began brushing the crumbs off  
of her robes before exiting behind his retreating form.

Blaise had known Draco a long time and they had truly been through  
everything together. It was not until Hogwarts that Draco really started to  
pull away from people and Blaise suspected that this was due to his father.  
His father took most emotions as a sign of weakness and it seemed to him  
that Draco had almost become brainwashed by all of his father's moronic  
purity propaganda. Blaise could easily remember a time where both of them  
were ignorant of the Death Eaters and they used to dream of winning the  
Quidditch Championship and their greatest sorrow was a rainy day or a broken  
broomstick.

Now Blaise knew what real sorrow was, as did many of the children of Death  
Eaters. It was losing a mother, a father, a sister, a brother or even a best  
friend. Those that are lost may still be alive but they were forever altered  
through greed or mistakes that cost them more then they could have ever  
dreamed possible. They all had been forced to grow up fast, in harsh and  
terrible ways. These were not the lives of children, and now they were all  
being forced to become like their parents: slaves to an unforgiving and  
black master.

Blaise took another bite of his pastry and watched silently as the morning  
owls arrived in a flurry of feathers and papers.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hermione rushed back up to her dormitory to collect her bag and books for  
the day, in the morning stupor she had forgotten to bring them with her when  
they went to Dumbledore's office. She ate her toast in large bites as she  
sped down the chilly corridors to reach Snape's classroom. Her breath came  
out in almost fogging pants as she settled herself next to Lee. He smiled up  
at her and then returned to doodling on his parchment. The little frog that  
he had drawn was hopping away from his quill as he attempted to add spots to  
its back with amusement.

Hermione opened her Potions volume seven text book and reread the  
instructions for making a Willy Oker potion and waited for class to begin.

Snape billowed into the classroom in his usual overly dramatic fashion and stared down at the waiting students as if daring anyone to comment on his lateness. Silence ruled as the Professor began his tirade.

"Today we will be brewing a very un-concentrated version of the Dreamless  
Sleep potion. I doubt that any of you dunderheads would know but why exactly  
are we not creating a concentrated version?" His dark eyes flashed with malice as he took in the blank expression of the class assembled before him…he waited for an answer

Hermione's hand shot up in a flash and as usual he berated the entire class  
before responding to her insisting hand.

"I have complete confidence that none of you should have made it to seventh  
year Potions and the only reasons that you are here is that the Headmaster  
wishes you all to graduate. However, I can safely say that I will not be capable of maintaining my hard-fought sanity if I have to spend one more year looking at your slack-jawed faces and miserable excuses for potions."

His head turned slowly as he glared down at every student and then sighed.

"Fine, Ms. Granger. If you would be so kind as to enlighten us?" He said  
with a tone laced in sarcasm.

"We are not making the concentrated version because the fumes from it alone  
would make the person unconscious for a long period of time. The way to get  
an effective draught is to make it un-concentrated and then leave it open  
and let the water evaporate and then….." Hermione faltered as she realized  
that her answer was coming out of Draco's mouth. Snape looked at Draco with  
an eyebrow raised and then said, "Very good Mr. Malfoy. Twenty points to Slytherin. It is nice to know that someone has done the reading." He looked pointedly at Hermione and the dumbfounded Gryffindors, "I expect an eighty three inch essay on the  
Dreamless Sleep Potion and its creator by Wednesday from the rest of you."

Many students in the class visibly gulped but Snape turned his attention to  
Hermione.

"Now, Ms. Granger please tell me why the bezoar needs to be added at a  
certain time and what time that is?" He asked with an evil glint in his eye.

Hermione's mouth opened but no sound came out and she quickly flicked her  
glance over to Draco who merely shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

"I am afraid that I do not know, Professor Snape." Draco words came out of her mouth in a very spacey rhythm.

She shook her head in the negative and Snape was almost glowing with  
malicious glee.

"I see our resident Book Worm has worn out her conceited brain! Twenty  
points from Gryffindor and I expect an extra essay from you on the bezoar, where it must be obtained, and its seventy uses for tomorrow. Now your instructions for the Potion are on the board, and if anyone tastes the potion before it is done you will be  
left where you fall. That is all, now begin!"

He swooped over to his desk and with a flourish began marking essays in  
crimson ink. A true Slytherin, Snape was partial to green and positively loathed the bold red of Gryffindor house; however nothing said 'failure' like the colour of blood.

Hermione glared at Draco while he merely whispered through her mouth, "Well  
we should do that more often right, Hermione?" She punctuated her anger by  
giving him silence and ignoring him for the rest of the period.

Lee gave up trying to get her to give him instructions and he just continued  
to prepare the ingredients while she put them in at the right time. At the  
end of class she gathered her books and rushed out of the classroom leaving  
Lee behind to stopper up their sample.

She arrived early to Transfiguration and continued to ignore Draco whom treated her similarly. That class they turned rabbits into toasters and the only real problem was that Neville's was still brown, furry and continued to hop around after he had turned it. Neither Draco nor Hermione could do the spells in their present states so he asked through her voice if they could be given some extra time to work on other classes. Professor McGonagall looked at them strangely and bid them away to the library till  
lunch.

All around them towers of musty books leered like wizened ancients as they  
quietly sat down and began on their essays.

"As soon as lunch starts we will go down to his office again alright?"  
Hermione asked timidly, as if almost afraid to break the meditative silence  
that the library loyally offered her time and again.

Draco looked up at her from Hogwarts: A History, and his eyes were listless  
as he nodded consent and returned to the battered book. She allowed her mind  
to wander and her eyes quickly followed as she watched his finger absently  
trace over grooves in the old wooden table. Hermione let her mind focus only  
on the rhythm of that pale digit and sat in silence as it did figure eights,  
circles and swirls over the weathered and lacquered grain.

Draco peered from his dog eared book too find Hermione staring intently at  
his moving hand. He frowned and studied her face. She looked like a nymph  
from one of those silly muggle stories that by some strange act had ended up  
in a musty library when she really should be out in a Forrest somewhere. Her  
dark velvet eyes were soft and her lashes framed them in feathery strokes.  
Lips that were pale had curved into an absent minded smile, giving her one  
dimple on the left side of her face. She was too entirely pale, He thought  
as she finally noticed that he was watching her and began to blush. He shook  
these imbecilic thoughts from his mind.

"What?" He asked blandly, and she avoided his eyes.

"Oh come on! You have to tell me what's bothering you, so just end this and tell me why you are acting strangely before you drive me insane!"

"Oh fine!" She huffed and began to fiddle with the elastic around her wrist.

"I think you have nice hands…" It seemed impossible but her blush grew  
deeper.

"Yes, I have nice everything." He said without the barest smidgeon of  
sarcasm.

"Well fine Mr. Inbred! If you can't take a decent compliment then I am sorry  
that I even said anything, you conceited, egotistical pig headed prat!" She  
crossed her arms over her chest and he just shook his head.

"I have confidence! What is so wrong with that? I know what I am, and I am  
happy with it! And thank you for the compliment Ms.  
I-Have-A-Broom-Shoved-Firmly-Up-My-Ass…"

They shot fiery sparks at each other through their stare and then Hermione  
began to laugh. This was no simpering little girly giggle but a full  
throated belly clenching, I am going to fall off my chair type of laugh.  
While Hermione sat with her eyes screwed firmly shut Draco was vibrating  
with the force of her laughter as is resounded in his throat. The sensation  
was so peculiar that he too began to laugh, but fell off his chair and this  
caused them to laugh even harder. After Hermione had also fallen over with a  
small thud and the peals of laughed died down, she realized that it felt as  
if a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. All the anxiety over  
the backfired spell was lifted off and she looked at Draco with a goofy  
smile that he returned in a much smaller sense.

Her moments of silly blissful peace were shattered when she heard a prim  
voice clear its throat crisply from above.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I cannot believe that I am banned from the library for a week! Its one  
thing to act crazy but it's another to get kicked out of there for it. I mean  
what am I going to do? What if I need a book and I can't get it? I am only  
on letter Q for authors and I need to start on Don-Lee Quitin books."

Hermione was dangerously close to a panic attack because Draco could sense  
first hand as her tone shrilled out through his voice box.

"Don't worry! You will be back before you know I….what do you mean Q for  
authors? Are you saying that you have read all the books in the library up  
to the letter Q? Are you insane?" Draco almost goggled at her before he  
regained his mask of indifference.

"Never mind. Just try to focus! We are going right now to Dumbledore's  
office and I would like to keep this entire incident quiet so can you please  
try to not freak out and make everyone worry and think that something truly  
horrible happened? It's not the end of the world you know."

"Nothing truly horrible happened eh? It's not the end of the world, right?"  
She shrieked through his throat, "I just can't think….I…I….I…." She breathed  
deep. "You are right we need to be calm so we can get this thing reversed.  
Sorry, I just don't know what came over me then."

He shrugged his shoulders and picked up his pace on the way to the Headmaster's office.

They entered side by side and it was almost as if he was expecting them.

Behind his desk Dumbledore sat with a thoughtful look on his face as they  
took seats in front of him.

"I was wondering when I would see you too again!"

They both looked at each other, her with surprise on her face and him with a  
questioning look.

"So what have you decided for the Ball? I hope it's something good, because  
although I do like Percy Weasley very much he lacks the creative skills to  
truly plan a delightful evening. Our theme that year was traditional magic  
and it was the most boring evening of my life. The most interesting thing  
that happened was when someone put fire whiskey into the punch bowl. They  
never found out who did that though…" His eyes twinkled as he looked at the  
two apprehensive heads.

"They, sir?" Hermione had to refrain from laughing again as Draco snorted.

"We never found I mean…" he trailed off, lost in thought and then snapped  
back to reality, "So what is your theme?"

"A Masquerade Ball but that is not why we are here sir." Hermione said  
again.

"Oh no? Well a masquerade does sound wonderful!" His eyes positively danced with  
merriment and he waited for them to continue.

"You see, Professor, we ahh well we sort of had an accident."

"Really? Why that is positively delightful, Hermione!" he began writing in a  
note book with a bright green feathered quill. "Please continue…"

"Well," Hermione began, "We cast a spell and it went wrong and we need it  
fixed very badly. You know of my tutoring Draco?"

Dumbledore looked at Draco in confusion. "Draco you are tutoring yourself? That is rather a novel idea, now isn't it?"

Hermione inwardly groaned as she realized that he did not know what was  
going on. He still did not know that their words were switched.

"No," she said quickly, "Me--Hermione" she pointed to herself, "am still  
tutoring Draco" she gestured to him, "and during a session this weekend we  
both cast the Vox Vocis Commuto spell and we were standing beside each other  
and it well…sort of swapped our words." Draco's tone faltered as Hermione  
felt more awkward.

Dumbledore regarded the two of them blankly and Hermione gave a grunt of  
frustration.

Draco chose this moment to speak up, "My name is Draco Aidan Malfoy, My  
father is Lucius Aidan Malfoy and my mother is Narcissa Ulva Malfoy. I am  
failing Charms and I am Head Boy, Captain of the bloody Slytherin Quidditch  
team, and I have an allergy to mushrooms." Hermione looked at him in  
surprise and he merely shrugged his shoulders as returned his fierce glare  
to Dumbledore.

Smiling he said in a mockingly grave voice, "This is very serious you two! I  
would suggest next time a spell goes awry that you got straight to Madame  
Pomfrey or one of the other teachers here. Now if I remember correctly the  
counter charm it is Voc Commu Vocisnia. You two did not by any chance look  
in Harold's Book of Switching and Swatches? No well, it's not really well known  
and I think that a Mr. Zabini currently has it in his possession."

He looked at them as if waiting for something and they fumbled for their  
wands.

Hermione opened her jaw wide as she felt the icy tingles of magic that  
flowed into the back of her throat as the spell worked.

"Splendid! Ten points to each house for your success. I would normally take  
points but I assume the two of you have gone through enough from having to  
speak for each other….literally….so I will let the two of you off with a  
warning."

Draco began to mumble out, "In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire  
of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the  
fire?" and Hermione could barely hear him as she tried to listen to  
Dumbledore requests for an outline of various dance preparations.

He lead them out after the two had avidly refused any offers of candy to  
wave them good bye as the stone gargoyle danced back into place in front of  
his door. The next two days passed wordlessly for Draco and Hermione.  
Neither really avoided the other but there was a silent acknowledgment of  
separation. Draco had become really removed and more moody then usual with  
bouts of anger and pacing and Hermione definitely did not feel the need to  
fight any more with him and she let herself become re-immersed in school  
work.

Days passed into weeks and with the Graduation Ball approaching and the  
dreaded NEWTS, Hermione found herself more and more in his wordless company.

Volunteer charts were passed around to put up decorations, make posters and  
Hermione decided that it would be interesting to have a costume contest.  
This was one way that insured that the students would actually dress up,  
even though the seventh years spoke of little else besides it and worry over  
their inevitable futures. It was also harder on Draco and Hermione because  
now the seventh years were up to their normal pranks and late night snogs  
because of the end of school.

Both felt the tension but dealt with it with surprising grace. Hermione  
started taking flying lessons from Ron and Harry much to their abundant joy  
to take her mind off of things and Draco spent long periods of time  
privately practicing his forgotten charms and doing extra credit potions  
projects.

Snape, who was never Draco's favourite person, but whom he had always had respected and looked up to had offered to hire him over the summer to become his potions  
assistant, and Draco knew that his father was pleased with this, and to his own  
confusion, he was also. Not only did it mean that he could do something that  
he truly enjoyed with a world renowned teacher who had a great deal of faith  
in him but he could also spend that time at the school away from his father.

Two weeks after being banned from the library Draco stayed up very late  
studying his Transfiguration notes on how to turn a desk into a deer when he  
heard an insistent clicking noise on his window pane. His father's large and  
bullying owl was flapping there looking very much agitated. They say owners  
resembled their pets, and even though Grim the owl was hardly a pet,  
Lucius's demeanour seemed to have rubbed off on the animal as it glared  
disgustedly at Draco when he let him in. Landing on the back of his desk  
chair he delicately held out his leg with the scroll tied neatly too it and  
shiftily glanced around the almost immaculate room.

Draco heaved a great sigh, walked over and untied the owl's letter from its  
place. Sitting down with a crunch on his notes that were splashed across his  
bed spread he moved up again and cleared a place for himself amongst the  
clutter. His hands began to quiver when his noticed the red wax sealing the  
letter. This was a very bad sign because he only ever used this for fellow  
death eaters and the dark lord himself.

Draco felt a writhing mass of dread breed disgustingly in his stomach. Calm  
on the outside but terrified within he quickly opened the letter to read  
what it said. His mind went numb and he dropped the letter.

(-----------

Hermione had just finished writing up the menu for the entire ball. It had  
taken her an entire week to convince the house elves that they needed to  
settle on whether they were making roast beef or chicken as the main course  
and that wine should be available in small quantities for the legal  
students. She stood and walked over to her window and smiled as the stars  
winked cheekily down at her from the dark misty sky.

The wind played at her hair and her grin became toothy as she decided then  
and there to go out on Harry's broom alone for the first time. Her  
confidence over flying had grown in leaps and bounds. Harry knew that it was  
something that she needed to do. To prove to herself that she could do it  
and to also get some of her frustration worked off in ways that did not  
involve hexing Malfoy. He had gladly lent her his broom with a very detailed  
list of how to take care of it. Hermione had laughed at him and said that if  
he prepared for Potions like he did his broom he would have tops marks and  
not the mediocre ones that he had retained all through school.

He shrugged and told her to bugger off while smiling as she left with his  
broom. He watched her leave with a grin. He had watched her grow up from the  
bossy and dictating young girl that she was into the generous and fiercely  
loyal woman that she was now. Hermione would always be his friend and Harry  
prayed and worked and bled for the day when he could insure that her and  
everyone he loved, his true family were safe from the wrenching evil and  
blackness that was Lord Voldemort.

Hermione left the pitch at a very late hour and proceeded to walk her room  
to collect her robe and pyjamas and then to the bath room in their common  
room that they regrettably had to share. She smelled like outdoors and fresh  
sweat from her exertion and Hermione thought that a nice quick hot shower  
was exactly the thing she needed before she went to sleep. Her room was dark  
and she softly collected her things before going to the bathroom. Hermione  
did not think that even Draco would be awake at this hour and she pleasantly  
pushed open the white bathroom door and was shocked motionless.

A horrid site met her eyes and she unconsciously dropped her fuzzy clothes  
and stood with her mouth open wide.

Stuttering with numbness she asked, "Draco?" In a voice akin to a whisper as  
if it were a prayer.


	14. Confession

Hermione could remember the day in third grade when she had discovered the  
dog on the playground of her school. One moment she had been angry with a girl  
in the class for tearing a page from her book, and the next she was standing in front of the dog. A car had hit it and the poor thing had crawled to the edge of the playground and died in the night. She could remember the smell; metallic and so very foreign and its listless staring and unseeing eyes. It was wearing a pink collar and it fur was matted with brown dried blood.

This semi-repressed memory flared up as soon as Hermione walked into the  
bathroom that night.

A thin delicate stream of blood ran from Draco's deathly pale wrist as it hung limply over the side of the bathtub, pooling into a dark puddle that contrasted garishly with the gleaming white of the marble tiles. The eerily still water of the bath was tinted red and his head was contorted back at a grotesque angle beneath the surface. She could see the tendrils of blood flow from his submerged wrist like cigarette smoke over his bare chest—both equally harsh and strangely beautiful. His sun stained hair drifted around his head like a halo of light near his sharp and refined features below the tainted water.

She felt a hollow ache in her chest that clenched with bruising ferocity. The moment was silent, alien and even though she did not act for a few seconds that precious time appeared to echo and last for minutes, hours, days. Time then became disjointed and panicked as her breath returned and she rushed forward to his unmoving form. Fumbling, and fleetingly she awkwardly lifted his lolling head above the water and checked his pulse.

A weak but steady vibration sent some relief flooding into her as she seized him beneath the arms and pulled him from the water. Hermione had to stifle a cry as she slipped on his blood and fell, but she managed to keep him from hitting the tub or from falling beneath the water again. He did not slip from her arms even though he was wet. She had her arms wrapped in a death grip around his chest, and she held him half-in, half-out of the bath with his hips and legs still in the water.

Panting, a few tears trickled down her flushed cheeks as she tried not to get lost in the fear and panic and numbness. She had to act—Draco needed her to act. He was depending on her and she would not let him die. Not while she had breath in her lungs and the ability to stop it.

Taking a large gulping breath she stood still wobbling and dragged his hips and feet out with slight wet thumps and a squeak as she dragged him along the floor. She could lift him, she could catch him, and she knew she could because she had done it enough in that corporation class.

A stream of pink water leaked out of his mouth while his head was turned and she quickly checked his pulse again. Still going, good. It was then that she noticed that he was not breathing. She gamely tilted his head back, put her hand on his forehead and the other held his nose while she breathed in deep and low and forced this air into his mouth. His lips and the water were cold and Hermione did not even notice the meagre pools of  
blood that were developing by both of his palms.

Then she sat up, linked her fingers and forcefully pushed on his chest then moving her hair out of the way put her head down to check his breath. Still nothing. She repeated these actions again and again mechanically but each time becoming more forceful and frantic as he took on a blue shade, became colder and his pulse was harder to find. As Hermione kept going she thought of how she had picked up the dog, not knowing what death was, took its limp body to her horrified teacher and asked her to please wake up the doggy so she could play with it.

Wake up Draco! She started the mantra in her head and between gasping breaths she began to say it aloud in first whispers then louder and finally she was screaming.

"Wake up! Come on fight! You can do it so stop being an idiot and wake up! WAKE UP DRACO!" At that she pushed painfully hard on his chest and her heart skipped a beat as she heard a watery cough and sputter.

His eyes flew open and he gazed around unseeing.

"Am I dead?" He asked hoarsely before he was consumed by blackness.

"Dear Draco,

It has been a long time since our last correspondence and I am sure that you  
are excelling in your studies and practicing the curses from those books I sent  
you. It is very important that you learn to do as many as possible before your  
initiation because it would please us all very much. I use them all on a  
weekly basis and I know you will too.

I got the notice that you discovered my charmed laces. I expected that you  
would have discovered them at some point and I hope that their enchantments  
have given you ample opportunities to find out things from that horrid  
Granger girl. It would be to your advantage to attempt the bulk of the new spells on the Mudblood, as it would be a simple matter to modify her memory. Mudbloods and muggles have such pliant minds and I insist that you use the girl for practice, and I want a full account when I see you in two weeks.

When we triumph I am sure that the Dark Lord would permit you the honour of being the  
one to kill her, because I know how much you would enjoy it. There is  
nothing like crushing the life from someone tainted to give one a sense of  
pleasure and power. She and her friends will be nothing more then a distant  
memory and even that loathsomeness can be taken care of by a simple spell.

We have decided to have your initiation sooner then expected because our  
Lord believes that Dumbledore will not check for our type again and  
especially not the Head boy; you will be expected in Hogsmeade the Saturday  
after your exams at 3:30 pm.

Do not be late, failure is not an option and you know the penalties for  
disobedience…Do not forget to burn this letter and send a hasty response."

Each word drove daggers into his heart until he was shaking with emotion.  
His mind seemed to be numb but racing and terrified at the same time. It was  
then that he wandered into the bathroom. His detachment came and went and  
the silence beat harshly on his head as he stared blank and aching into the  
mirror.

He turned on the water of the bathtub to rid the silence and drifted into  
the white noise of it. Cursing buttons, it took him nearly ten minutes to remove his shirt, and as he did so, his mind formed a conclusion.

He had no one. No help, no strength left to keep up this charade and the  
vicious cycle of hurt. He would simply never be good enough for the father he had always idolized and emulated. Draco felt as if he were nothing more than a means to carry on the Malfoy name, and he hated his father for it. He hated his father for everything he put him through and expected of him. He hated everyone who had all the things he did not have, people who had others who loved and cared for them and worst of all, he hated himself—who he was and who he was expected to become. Getting the mark would be, in simple terms, signing away his soul. The years of rejection and isolation gave birth to his present state of mind wherein he was consumed with constant anguish and bouts of mental instability. In an instant he comprehended the full extent of the horrors that lie in wait for his future…and in that moment, he shattered.

Amidst the steam and the tears he felt he only had strength enough for one  
final thing—a drastic act that would rid him of the pain through pain. Taking the  
immaculate razor from his shaving kit that had never been used he wandered  
over to the toilet, sat down and glanced at the deadly blade in a way that could almost seem bored before taking a shallow breath and making the first cut. The pain was  
searing, like a demon within tearing flesh to get out and he almost laughed  
as he watched the quickly flowing lifeblood trickle down in raindrops that  
splashed on the white tile floor.

The second wrist followed when he got too tired of watching the first bleed—again a rush of pain and then the calm that followed. He stood, and the world became a little fuzzy and dark as he stumbled over to the tub. Turning the water off caused new jets of pain to shoot into his flesh but he ignored it and slowly stepped into it and watched as the drops spiralled into the water below. Then he sat and laid back and drifted in and out of consciousness as he sunk deeper into the water. There were no real last thoughts near the end only the white noise of sound that had resided in his ears since he read the letter slowly dying out.

----------

The night that followed was a difficult one for both Hermione and Draco. She focused her attentions on dashing about the common room preparing a variety of potions and telling herself that it would be a bad idea to take Draco to Madam Pomfrey straightaway…he would never forgive her if she gave him over to the fussy witch and the questions that would be asked afterwards—that much she was sure of, and that thought kept her hunched over steaming cauldrons full of blood restoratives and thickening agents.

He was weak and paler then normal and Hermione completely ignored her sore  
eyes and fumbling motions as she tried to keep the boy alive. She had  
levitated him out of the bathroom, taken off his wet pants and put him in a  
bathrobe that was lying on his desk chair. Any sense of shame had fled her the moment she stumbled in upon him; keeping his body alive was the first and only thing on her mind, no blushing like a school girl at his boxers entered her brain. He tossed  
and turned slightly on the common room couch, as she ran about. Checking  
his forehead, checking the potion, took up half the time while the  
other was spent making sure he did not roll of the couch and trying to  
stop the slightly drenching flow from his wrists.

Draco's breathing was shallow and his pulse weak but steady, but she kept at it. After  
three hours, with the moon waning and potion ready she tilted back his head forced open his mouth and slowly poured the yellowish bitter mixture into his parted lips. A slight trickle fell down his waxen cheek and she brushed it away with a tender caress that if she had been thinking clearly or at all, would have disturbed her slightly. A slight hurt look crossed his brow and he grimaced.

Within minutes, the bleeding had ceased and half an hour later his breathing and  
pulse became more regular and reassuring to her as she began to drift to  
sleep, sitting in a chair, leaning over his knees in slumber. That was how  
Draco awoke the following morning.

He felt horrid—nauseated and overly sensitive to the light streaming in through the common room windows, and his mind was blank as he opened his dry eyes to see Hermione curled up so perfectly across his robed knees. He felt a slight tickle as her humid breath moved tangles of her hair against his bare leg. Eyes shooting open wide, he tensed instantly as he began to recall the letter, and the blade, and the blood.

Hermione had sensed him jerk and she too shot up to look into his tempestuous  
and terror filled eyes. Her satin brown coloured eyes flicked back and  
forth across his face in worry.

"Dracoo…" she breathed out low and soft, the sound at once caressing and  
barging into his consciousness.

He turned his face away from her and began to take deep calming breaths as  
he said in a vicious voice, "Why?"

Hermione became confused and frowned deeply, "What?"

"Why? Why did you save me? I want to DIE!" He screamed at her, hot angry tears  
tearing down his face. "I want to die…I don't deserve to live and I would be  
better off dead!"

Hermione reached out to grab hold of his upper arm but he jerked and looked  
away.

"Why would you say…Why would you even think that Draco?"

His laugh sent a chill down her spine and a lump in her throat.

"Why? Because I have no one and my father…" His eyes became strained and  
haunted and he gestured to his room.

"He is in your room?" Hermione's glance flicked fearfully up to his opened  
doorway alit with greying sour light.

"No! Another letter…." His tone was almost too low to hear and Hermione  
stood up quickly, went to his room and picked up the rumpled parchment from  
beside his bed and returned to stand by his side.

Her eyes quickly scanned the page and with each word her mouth became dryer  
and her thoughts were more disturbed.

"He wanted you to…" She could not finish the line. Pacing with sudden built  
up anger she tried to put her mind in order. His father wanted him to  
practice curses on her and others at the school and gave him permission to  
kill her.

She sat down abruptly beside his legs on the couch and stared at him  
intently.

"This is the reason? You were just going to give up?"

He avoided her eyes and wrapped his robe more tightly around his legs.  
Roughly she grabbed his chin and turned his face to hers. Draco's pale eyes  
were at once full of fear and shame.

Hermione spoke one word that awoke him and broke his barriers down a little  
more.

"Please…"

"What would you have me say? That my father hates me, only second to  
possibly how much I hate myself? That he wants a perfect copy of himself to  
toy with and that I have no one…" His eyes locked fiercely onto hers and she  
was moved by the depth of feeling they held as he repeated with more  
emphasis, "No one…"

They sat in silence for a few tense minutes before Draco broke into their thoughts by speaking.

"Does Miss Mudblood know what true loneliness feels like? To be perfectly and truly alone?" His words were cold and Hermione felt her eyes begin to water.

"No…I…I d-don't but Draco please…"

"What?" He barked.

"Live…"

She stunned Draco. She was crying for him, pitying him. A mudblood pitied him, how horrible.

Her face was twisted as she pleaded, "Come with me…ask for help from Dumbledore. He will keep you safe, or at least he can help. But just please, live…"

"Why?" Draco asked still numb but morbidly fascinated by her reactions.

"Because, in this war you should at least try to live. If we do not have life even when we are fighting for it, what is the point of it all? Stay, fight, live and trust us. Trust Dumbledore, and please trust me…I wont have a friend of mine die when I can stop it."

She reached out again and squeezed his arm and this time he did not pull away. He wanted to shift uncomfortable under her gaze, words and touch but he refrained.

"Friend? Is that what you are?"

"Damn it Draco! Stop being an idiot and wise up! Maybe I should have not helped you last night, but then I would not have been true to myself…it just would not have been right to leave you to die."

"I am so very glad that I can alleviate your guilt, Miss Saint."

If Draco had not been fully awake before, the sting of her slap did just that. He looked at her with a shock-opened mouth as her eyes squinted and her face got red. Seconds later Hermione launched herself at his semi up right form and hugged him bracingly as she said, "I was so worried! Please, please, please…." She just kept pleading with him and he finally broke down and whispered, his voice cracking, "I am just so lost, Hermione….."

She hushed him as he cried like a little boy into her soft scattered hair on her shoulder. After an hour of tears that faded into silence with Hermione still softly rocking, he pulled back and avoided her eyes.

"Take me to him…" Hermione stood up almost eager and started for the door. "But let me get dressed first…" He said with a slight smile as she stopped in her tracks and turned around that blushed at the ground. He stood and, on second thought, hugged her lightly still needing the physical comfort that he was normally devoid of and yearning for.

After dressing slowly and having her rewrap his bandages they began the precarious and awkward walk to the Head masters office. It was still early morning, and they did not even see a ghost on this damp, shaded morning as they arrived in front of the gargoyles which after an affirmative, "Everlasting Gobstoppers," shifted aside to allow them entry.

There Dumbledore sat, in his orange night gown, writing and looking as if he merely had stayed up all night working but Hermione suspected otherwise. She had been here too many times not to know that he had the uncanny ability to pop up in his office when he was needed for something. He looked up inquiringly at the two and waited for them to speak.

"Professor Dumbledore, over the course of this year, I have gotten to know Draco here and I speak on his behalf will full confidence in his character and intentions." Had Draco not been in such a state of shock he would have laughed at the rather formal and stern way with which she was speaking to the Headmaster.

"Draco, as a show of good faith, please give the Headmaster the letter from you father." Draco raised an eye and with great reluctance handed the old man the very rumpled sheet. He felt as if he had just done something very important. In that moment he felt that he had made the first steps of regaining his soul. The old man skimmed the letter over his  
half moon glasses and then looked up a Draco with a piercing stare.

"You want help?" Dumbledore asked gravely, and Draco nodded his head almost imperceptibly. "Very well, if you are able to prove your loyalties lie against those of your fathers, you will receive all of the assistance that I and my associates are able to provide. Then we will require your help for the next few weeks. It would be advantageous for our cause to have someone able to pass on information—you, being the son of a prominent Death Eater, would be in an ideal position to do so. Would you agree to this?"

Draco nodded his head, "How do I prove myself?"

Dumbledore said nothing, but Draco felt the old man prodding at his mind—Legilimency, he would have known that feeling anywhere, for his father thought himself to be quite accomplished in it. Lucius was _nothing_ compared to Dumbledore, however, and the feeling was mildly uncomfortable. Draco focused on pulling his memories of fear and contempt for his father to the forefront of his mind and after what seemed like hours, he felt Dumbledore withdrawing from his mind. He stifled a sigh of relief and instead looked at the Headmaster expectantly.

Dumbledore stood and smiled breaking the tense atmosphere. "Things seem to be in order," he replied lightly, "and there is someone you will need to speak with at once. In the mean time, you will keep up correspondence with your father as if there is no problem—there will be plenty of those later. I feel inclined to tell you that it is a relief that you have chosen a path different from that of your father. In time, you will realize how much you have to gain by realizing your true loyalties at an early age. Now," he said muttering more to himself than the other occupants of the room, "where is that dratted can?"

He ambled up out of his high arched chair over to one of his many cluttered  
table tops, as a few of the portraits watched expectantly, to pick up a very average looking muggle can. Bringing it to his mouth he mumbled a bit and then set it back down and stared at nothing in particular. Draco sincerely doubted the senility of the man he'd just entrusted his life to when Professor Snape suddenly emerged from the hearth looking quite dishevelled. He glared around, his posture stiffened when he realized that he was not the only guest in the room, yet his gaze faltered and softened when he took in the sight of Albus Dumbledore standing placidly behind his large desk in a lurid orange dressing gown.

Dumbledore walked over silently and sat down again before saying to Severus,  
"Well Professor, it would seem that we have found you an accomplice at last—in both  
potions and other things." He raised his eyebrow knowingly as Snape eyed  
Draco with suspicion. Without warning or words he walked over to Draco and  
grabbed his arm to attempt to use Legilimency, but jerked back as Draco yelped  
in pain. He eyed him with glaring suspicion then turned to Dumbledore.

"Does he already have the mark?" His cold tone made Hermione uneasy.  
Dumbledore shock his head and lowered his eyes.

Draco blankly pulled back his sleeves to reveal the two pristine bandages.  
Snape's lip twitched in what Hermione thought was a smile as she tried to  
stop from shivering.

Snape pulled back his sleeve to reveal an arm with a few silvery scars.

"Not so different are we?" He said darkly as Draco looked questioning at  
Dumbledore.

"Professor Snape is one of our top spies under Voldemort, figuratively  
speaking. I am sure that you two will have a lot to talk about before  
graduation but not this morning and Draco you have been assigned a detention  
with Professor McGonagall for the weekend your father wants you to go to  
Hogsmeade. I will hold another Death eater check just after that  
weekend for your sake."

Dumbledore stood up and stretched revealing a little bit too much of his  
bare calves before saying, "Well, it has been a long night for us all and I  
do think that we all need a good sleep. Oh dear me! It's morning already?  
Well that can be fixed." With a flick of his wand the windows showed starry  
night and they all returned to their rooms, with some grumbling on Snape's  
part who nodded slowly to Draco and his normally expressionless face showed it all…he looked weary but was undoubtedly proud of his pupil. Upon reaching his room Draco let  
himself drift into blissful dreamless sleep as Hermione fell into  
slumber sideways across her still made bed.

"There is no refuge from confession but suicide; and suicide is confession."

Daniel Webster "Argument on the murder of Captain White"

A.N ( Okay I don't know if we are supposed to do these but no one has given me any grief so far for it. Carla you did wonders for this chapter! I never even thought of having Dumbledore do legimancy….that whole paragraph was her. YOU ARE FABULOUS! I hope things work out for you! I have never really thanked the people who regularly comment and I just wanted to mention prin69, Lady11Occult, Michelle Felton, xambzx, Babiblue754, and ESPECIALLY mrs. Skywalker your comment a bit back made me very happy. Big Joygasm.

Spoilers for Half-Blood Prince WARN FRICKA NING Justin dont read this unless you finished the book already skipper...

Its so weird rereading this chapter because I wrote it before I read the new book. I will still continue on with what I had in mind but the fact that the half blood prince killed the headmaster…..I am still in shoke. And I want Snape to be good in this story too, but at one point I write him saying to Draco, Not so different now are we? But in the book that is so not the case! Draco could not kill him while Snape did. I am still confused over this all. I keep wanting to think that Snape was ordered by Dumbledore if needed to kill him. I was dumbfounded after the second chapter and went through the entire book thinking that Draco was supposed to be getting Harry not the headmaster. I FRUITING LOVE that Draco could not do it! I always wanted him to be reformed or whatever he is now and the fact that he was sharing his feelings with Myrtle just made that all the much amazing….Okay enough of this….thanks for the support and MORE COMMENTS ARE DRIZZLED IN CHOCOLATE AND HAPPILY LICKED OFF! Thank you!


	15. A Sparkle Sadly

Hermione closed her eyes so tightly that her cheeks hurt from the tension. Her entire life had lead up to this point and she simply could not look. Her jaw was clenched painfully and her short nails were sharply digging into her palms as she waited in bittersweet agony. Her breath came out in slow deep mouthfuls of anxciousness until Harry gasped.

"Hermione! You got top marks! Incredible!" Hermione opened her eyes to see both Harry and Ron looking at her in awe.

"Err...we never doubted you..." Ron trailed off stumbling.

"Hermione, with these types of marks you could do anything you wanted!" Sudden realization hit Ron and he looked curious.

"What do you want to do anyway?" She opened her mouth reluctantly, but her reply was interrupted by Draco, who roughly pushed past her to quickly glance at his standings. Harry and Ron each gave their respective outcries of curses at the blond who was huddled over the list of names casually running a tapered digit up the long list. Harry and Ron were yelling angrily at him while his blank face revealed nothing as his eyes flicked back and forth over the names.

Hermione was the only one to see the small self indulgent smile that a lit his face at finding his standings before it was quickly dropped when Ron jabbed his finger angrily in his arm.

"Listen to me when I am talking to you, Malfoy! You have no right to treat Hermione like that you bastard, but I would not expect a snake like you to be decent, you know like to act human and apologize for being a rude bugger."

Harry glared and his wand hand twitched unconsciously at his side.

The blond boy turned slowly as if he had heard a slight noise. Draco brushed the spot on his arm where Ron had prodded almost like he were now dirty from the brief contact and addressed Ron with complete control and a nearly bored tone.

"I can't believe that you expect me to listen to you, Weasley, when I have never done so before. Why would I start now?" Ron's opened his mouth to send Draco a scathing reply but Draco held up a finger to silence him. "As impressive as your retort would undoubtedly be, please refrain, as I don't think my ears could take much more of your whiney voice." Ron had gone completely red and was looking very close to leaping on the boy, if only to silence him. Harry, standing with his hand grasping the back of Ron's robe, also looked mutinous. Draco chose to continue. "I would also imagine that Granger hardly needs you to be her knight in shinning armour, after all, mudblood or not she did just receive the highest marks in the entire school. Let's say it's safe to assume that she is capable of fighting her own battles, unless, of course, she lets her cronies do it for her because she secretly enjoys a good laugh at your incompetence. One would think that _she_ should be sticking up for _you_, Weasel, because your entire existence is a disgrace—including you marks." Draco chanced a quick look at Hermione who was watching him with slight confusion and concern. His blank cold demeanour dropped for a second and he looked as confused as she was. He appeared to only now realize what he had said—it was evident she did, as was told by the disappointment flashing in her eyes.

She didn't know if Draco had meant what he said to Ron, but she was certain that he had appearances to maintain, as Dumbledore and Snape had decided that it was best if no one else knew of Draco's deflection to their side. Draco had been acting in the manner in which he always had, with a few notable exceptions…one being the moment he looked slightly regretful and panicky after insulting the youngest Weasley son. He had compensated for this minute slip by sneering at both boys before him, though he did stoop so that he could whisper a quiet "congratulations" to the curly haired witch. Harry and Ron had assumed it was an insult, and Draco had stridden off imperiously.

"Wow," was all Harry could say. "Do you think that fall from the broom addled his brain or perhaps all that inbreeding caught up with him? He really didn't just scamper away like the scared ferret that we all know he is?" Hermione felt someone shaking her gently and she turned to see Ron looking amused.

"He took one look at you and ran! Do you think now that you are officially the cleverest witch in a Hogwarts history, that he finally realized how much danger he was in and thought it best not to stick around after all the cruel stuff he has done over the years?" Ron laughed and Hermione and Harry just stared at him.

"What?" Ron was bewildered.

"That's not funny, Ron! And besides, I would not use my brain for revenge..." Hermione trailed off and laughed inside at the shocked looks on her friends' faces. "Well I wouldn't waste it on him at least." Ron's stomach gave a very audible growl and he looked at them sheepishly.

"I couldn't eat breakfast…nerves, you know. But now I could eat a hippogriff—talons and all." Harry snorted and began to lead his friend down to the Great Hall.

"I think that this hypothetical Hippogriff would eat you first Ron." Hermione said happily.

"You're coming?" Harry asked while dodging a couple of fast talking third years.

"Yeah, I will be right down. I just want to check for myself." Harry grinned and with his glasses askew called to Ron to wait up.

Hermione turned back to the list and trailed her finger up the names to see her own at the top. Neville, amazingly, was also in the top ten, along with Harry. Hermione felt an odd flip in her stomach upon seeing that Draco's were a very close second to her in all classes. She smiled goofily, and chalked the odd sense of pride off to the intense situations and trust they now shared. She shook her head, and then walked quickly down to the Great Hall for lunch. Who would have ever thought that she could be proud of a ferret boy?

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"But I don't want to help out!" Ginny whined while eating her sandwich in the noisy Great Hall at lunch. "I hate the idea of seeing all those decorations and not being able to actually attend. It's depressing enough that you're all leaving, and now you want me to help decorate? Sorry, but I'm no glutton for punishment."

_'Time to lay it on thickly,'_ Hermione thought devilishly. "Please Ginny? I am already having a hard time getting volunteers and I really am counting on you. Please?"  
Hermione suppressed a smile at Ginny's obviously guilt stricken face.

"Oh, alright!" the red-head snapped, "just don't expect me to enjoy it at all..." Her voice trailed off sadly.

She smiled slyly, "But I also know that Harry is helping out also and I think that he is on candle duty...and I sent Ron to work on the enchanted tablecloths...so..."

Ginny interrupted with a small squeak, "Sign me up! I am sure that Harry will need loads of help with th..."

"Yeah I will," Harry said shyly from behind Hermione and Ginny looked up, eyes wide.

"Great now that it's all settled, I've got to go see Professor Flitwick about something."

She left amongst raised eyebrows while Ron muttered between mouthfuls of orange, "We got our marks back, why does she need to still go to class?" He frowned, appearing as if he had a stomach ache and then set his food down. He had been so distracted with studying that he had forgotten to ask someone to the dance. A slight blush crept over his freckled cheeks when he thought of who he should ask. He just hoped that she did not already have a date.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hermione stepped into the bright classroom that was full of clean spring light. She was surprised to feel a slight quiver of sadness. This may very well be her last time in this classroom and Hermione fondly began to think of her very first time there. Her charm musings were interrupted by the very professor that taught her the swish and flick, that had saved her life and those of her friends from a mountain troll.

He smiled warmly and went to gather some books from his desk while standing on a small ladder to reach the top.

"Are you going to tell me why I am here?" Hermione asked politely.

He laughed deeply then shook his head, "Of course, but not yet. I am an old man, and you must forgive my sense of the dramatic. No, that will have to wait."

Hermione had just settled into a chair in front of his desk, feeling slight deja vu, when the door to the classroom opened. Draco strode into the room and stood respectfully at the corner of the table without even looking around. Flitwick smiled softly, while Hermione sunk lower in the chair feeling uneasy.

"There you are Mister Malfoy; I was beginning to wonder about you." Flitwick climbed down from his perch to shake Draco's hand with large movements. "Congratulations on your marks! I am telling you in strict confidence but you achieved higher standings then both your mother and father! Even with you're previously failing mark in my class you would have far exceeded them both." Draco indulged him in a cocky smile that was more humble pride and pleasure then anything.

"Now, Hermione here and I have something to tell you." Draco whipped around to see her sitting scrunched down in her chair. Waving weakly she sat up slowly as he glared and then looked a tad annoyed before turning back to the teacher.

Flitwick swelled up with pride at the sight of both of them. "I am happy to announce that you both achieved the highest marks in Charms in nearly a decade, and are by far the brightest students that I have ever had the pleasure to teach."

He winked at their slightly surprised faces and said conspiratorially, "I am sure that you could both teach me a thing or two also."

He turned sharply towards Hermione, his chin shaking as he said sternly, "Now Hermione I want to congratulate you on your impressive work during your time here and also to make you an offer. I am in need of an apprentice because in a few years I plan on retiring. Now I know that you have most likely gotten many offers already but I would at least like to add my bid to the lot; Hermione would you consider becoming my apprentice? Even if you decide to do something different the experience would be well worth the time, I can assure you! Well, now that a certain Longbottom has passed I know that there will be at least half the accidents there were previously. So will you consider my offer?"

His next words were cut off by Hermione answer. "Yes!" Both men looked at her in surprise.

She smiled happily and blurted out, "Well it is the only offer I have gotten." Then Hermione turned an interesting shade of rose.

The tall blond and the short wizened old man looked at her in shock.

"I mean...ahh," Hermione was a lost for words and the Professor cleared his throat.

"Well that is surprising, but if there is something else you would rather do."

Hermione blushed and shook her head, "No, I would love to be your apprentice, sir. It would be an honour." She indulged Flitwick with a warm smile that had the old man thrilled. She added with a secretive smile at Draco who eyes looked away quickly. "If I can teach Draco here, then assisting you will be a breeze."

Flitwick smiled, immense pleasure apparent on his face and as he walked towards the door, he could be heard mumbling, "...can't believe she choose to do Charms, why she could do anything that she wanted. Just think! I am going to have the brightest witch of our age as my apprentice..."

Hermione blushed deeply then turned back to Draco who was staring at her. When he noticed her eyes on him, he turned quickly to leave.

"Wait!" Hermione said in vain as he bumped lightly into the barrier that she had created before he had entered the room. He grunted and turned back to her with a defeated anger on his face.

"Well I told you that you would have to do it someday, and here you are." Her cheerful tone trailed off as she saw how uncomfortable he was. "It's alright if you don't have it down yet..." She raised her arms to do the counter charm when he pulled his wand out and beat her to it.

She smiled proudly but it was fading as she saw his cold demeanour. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing..." He scuffed his toe on the ground and began to walk quickly out of the room.

Hermione became angry. "Oh right! I remember this! I thought that we were through with this, Draco. The asshole act, the alienation, but I guess not." She sighed disgustedly, "Well let's get on with this quickly shall we, because I am not in the mood today?"

She stood and walked to stand directly in front of him and said very quickly, "You have to tell me what's wrong." He narrowed his eyes and immediately shot back "No I don't you filthy mud..." another pregnant pause, "Yes you do! I have helped you out, and believe it or not I care. So either tell me what you're on about or get over it! You're nearly unbearable when you're like this!" He stared at her incredulously, "Don't you dare talk to me like that, you scum!" Hermione inhaled sharply, "I'll talk to you any way I please, you prat! This is how I talk to my friends when they are acting like total idiots...not that that is very often...but if the shoe fits."

Her eyes were blazing and she was panting lightly as she waited for his answer.

He crossed his arms over his chest, stuck out his chin and looked her in the eye and said, "After all that has happened I feel..."

"What? Afraid? Lonely? Elated? Worried?" She was being overly aggressive but she was tired of tip toeing.

"Weak..." He avoided her eyes and she could see that he was angry, but did not know if it was directed at her or himself.

"Oh Draco, " She smiled warmly and he watched the corners of her mouth raise upwards.

"What you have decided to do is incredibly brave! You show and prove your strength by making your own choices. Welcome to reality!" She joked and became annoyed.  
"Come on Draco! You did the right thing and I know that you are far from weak or cowardly." Her shoulders slumped as she added, "You were willing to die to protect others. Even if trying to kill yourself was a stupid thing to do, it was brave of you to ask for help. Sometimes that is the bravest act there is, to ask for help when you need it."

He smiled harsher, "But you foiled my brave act, didn't you Hermione?"

She coughed and said, "Not funny!" She swatted at him and he moved aside easily.

"Was that all? Because I need to get down to doing decorations...Who knows what type of trouble Ron will get himself into." Grinning she waited as he replied.

"I was wondering..." Her heart beat increased as she saw the look in his eyes, so familiar yet alien to her at the same time. "Yes?" Her voice came out small.

"Would you...teach me how to do wandless magic?" His words were rushed and he looked embarrassed.

"I don't see why not," she quipped with a grin that belied a sense of disappointment she wasn't sure why she felt. "Now let's go finish the Great Hall and I hope to the gods that Ron has not filled the place with bubbles or gotten stuck to the ceiling again..." Draco looked at her with an eyebrow raised and she laughed before saying, "Don't ask."

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Snape was trying to wait patiently for his young apprentice to arrive for their first session but he was checking the time more frequently. He held a mirthless grin briefly as he thought on how there was only two people in the world he would wait for without complaint: the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the Dark Lord. It was the circumstances of Draco's deflection that would partially curb the burn of his tongue about the boy's lateness, but that would be all that it would curb.

Emotional stress was no excuse for sloppy work in Snape's mind. Just as he began to sit for the third time in the last ten minutes the door was thrown open by a breathless Draco.

"I am VERY sorry professor!" He looked nervous and his uniform was in disarray.

Snape glared lightly and waited for the boy's excuse. "Well, Sir, I went out on my broom after lunch and lost track of time."

"Mr. Malfoy, you do realize that that was exactly," He checked his pocket watch pointedly, "eight hours and twenty three minutes ago." Standing so quickly that the shadows around his desk fluttered as if frightened, he said grimly, "Now, I don't care what you do in your free time, but this will be the only instance that losing track of time will be permitted unless it is while working on a potion. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco hung his head decidedly to show that he felt chastised. "Yes, Professor Snape. Crystal."

"Good. Now I think that we should begin by discussing what you will be doing in the next season and how this relates to work in the order."

Draco had gone for a ride on his broom so that he he did not have to think. This was meant to be a distraction but the fact that flying was second nature to him left him horridly alone with his tormented thoughts. When he had gone to Dumbledore, he had felt relief but now, he felt more alone then ever. Its one thing to have your life planed out for you no matter how wrong it was but at least then you had other people to suffer it through with you. Now he felt he had no direction. His future was clouded in the fog of uncertainty that most people live with, but he felt like a babe in the woods now.

He had betrayed his father, his mother, and a large portion of his own house, which he knew were merely waiting for him to take his mark before they went for their own. In this way he knew that many would not get the mark before graduating. Draco had only vague ideas of what would happen to him if he were found out and this scared him more then any had before.

Quickly he walked over to the side of Snape's desk and sat down on the chair bedside it. The Professor silently began opening books and writing down notes before he cleared his throat and said, "Now under a normal apprenticeship, I would be merely teaching you the more advanced potions but given your vast knowledge of the previously taught sections; I am going to allow you to do independent studies on your own time over the summer." Draco nodded, trying not to swell with the pride of accomplishment.

"Now with regards to the Order, I want you to know that I think what you did was…advantageous to you. The circumstances, to which you were—how shall I say this, convinced to go before the Headmaster were not true Malfoy instinct, but it is how you differ from your heritage that makes you wiser then those before you."

He was surprised. Wise? Snape couldn't possibly think that he was wise, could he? It was simply unfathomable; absurd even. Draco decided that Snape was likely humouring him, and though saddened, he let the dark haired wizard continue.

"It doesn't seem like all that long ago when I found myself in your shoes," Snape trailed off for a moment as if he were reliving the past. After a moment, he regained his bearings and continued. "Though you have seen the light before allying yourself with the dark—I was not able to accomplish this, and for that, I applaud you." Draco stared at him in astonished disbelief. "However, my time for decision making has long ended. Do not think that I am pleased with everything I have done—and still do—for the 'greater good,' as Dumbledore calls it. I simply see it as my fate. I've made my bed, and I must lie in it. I do, however, believe with complete conviction that I made at least one right decision in my life, and nothing could lead me to alter my allegiances."

Draco stared at him closely for a moment before speaking. "You seem so certain."

A smile crept at Snape's piercing eyes. "I am; without a doubt…but there was a time when I was not so sure."

Draco adjusted his dishevelled robes and thought about tying his untied shoe lace but decided against it.

"Dumbledore came to me one night after a very trying week involving your Father, and he asked me simply, what do you want?" Snape's face looked paler then ever against the flickering candle light as he said in a thick voice, "It was then that my conviction was cemented. So Draco, What do you want?"

"I don't know what you mean professor." Draco's voice cracked and he felt a little sick to his stomach; _'Eight hours on a broom can do that to you,'_ he thought mirthlessly.

"Come on Draco!" Snape was suddenly very animated, the flame dancing about his face. "What type of life do you want to live and are you willing to die for that freedom? Or lack of it. What is it that you want, what is going to make you fight?"

Draco sat numb while Snape watched him with hawk eyes. After ten minutes of perfect stunned silence on the young man's part, Snape stood and walked towards the door. With his back towards the paler one he said slowly. "This is your first assignment for the Order. Pick your battle and do what you like, but at least know what you are turning from and what you are turning towards, only then will you be ready to fight."

His thoughts were slow and sluggish as he went through memories of days when he was younger. Christmas's at the Manor, his first broom, his mother in front of her vanity putting on perfume, his father reading in his study and the time when he had let Draco come in when he had been peeking around the door to sit on his lap while he read; big things like receiving his first letter from Hogwarts and when he heard the name of Voldemort for the first time. Little things that meant everything to him, like how his mother never let him talk while they were at a meal, or how he now had a hard time talking in the Great Hall at all, for the unease it brought…or how Lucius had been happy, so deliciously happy when Draco had given him his marks first year, but only to have been shunned in icy silence after he received notice of Hermione's far surpassing marks.

What did he want? A clenching in his stomach brought him from his thoughts. Well for now, some supper would do.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Draco, could you hand that basket of rolls over here?" Blaise asked as he sat down to their table.

"Sure," Draco replied already reaching for the bread.

"So, Draco, how does it feel to be second?" Blaise asked casually as their section of the table went silent.

He raised a cool eye to his long time friend and replied sarcastically, "It feels wonderful, but I wanted to ask you, how it feels to have failed herbology?" The chatter returned and Blaise laughed.

"I will survive, but really I thought that you would be top of the class for sure! You study more then humanly possible."

"Always make the enemy feel superior; it is inevitable that they will underestimate you."

Blaise almost choked on his last bite of roll as he tried to laugh and talk at the same time.

"Smooth, Blaise, very smooth." Draco drawled sarcastically while he returned to his chicken.

Blaise looked shocked and then through his head back and laughed loud enough to make most of the Gryffindors gawk at them. Dumbledore looked delighted and said to a sour looking Severus, "Now that's what we need more of! I wish that I could bottle laughter, but then there would be an epidemic of hiccups and those can be very annoying. No it is best just to muse about it. Although I can think of one person that would benefit from a healthy does of it." Dumbledore looked pointedly over his half moon spectacles at the glaring Potions Professor.

"You know that that potion has been previously impossible to create, Headmaster…unless you would be brave enough to use that accidental concoction the muggles created called Laughing Gas." Snape shifted uncomfortably under the head master's gaze while he smiled like a crazy man.

Draco was called up to the head table after the food was cleared with a message to meet the Headmaster in his office.

Crabbe and Goyle had jumped a Hufflepuff third year and Draco came across them on his way. It was not until the shaggy haired boy had seen Malfoy that he looked afraid. His face drained of colour and Draco had to refrain from smiling in glee.

"Greg! Vin! What are you two doing?" Goyle looked surprised to see Draco and he said fumblingly, "This kid here needs to be taught a lesson. He thinks that he can call us stupid and get away with it!"

Crabbe nodded and his fleshy chin jiggled with the motion. Draco put his hand to his forehead in frustration. "Right…let's examine this, shall we? You've failed all of your NEWT's, the chances that you'll graduate with our class are virtually nil, and you're attacking a student in the very corridor that the Headmaster resides—and in front of the Head Boy, no less. I hate to break to you, but you _are_ stupid."

Crabbe blinked dimly as if he had just realised where he was. "Give me a sec and we will take this kid somewhere else..." Goyle's watery eyes looked cheerful and he raised his fist to knock the trembling student out.

Draco caught his fist with ease. "Now Gregory, I'm quite certain that I had ordered the house elves to bring some pie to the dormitory in celebration of the end of NEWT's, and I am sure that if you two hurry that you both can get one to yourselves. Now, would you rather risk having that old codger walk in on you manhandling a younger student, or would you rather be safely ensconced in the dungeons…with pie?"

The two boys looked like they were having a hard time keeping up with Draco's logic until they heard the words manhandling and pie. After then he knew he was just talking to himself as the two were nodding profusely.

"Just go!" Draco said with a tired voice as they scrambled away. Draco suddenly thought of something as he listened to the eager sound of their thundering footsteps. A loud shout of surprise was heard followed by another and the sound of bodies tumbling down the stairs and then groans of pain. Draco chuckled fondly and said to himself, "That trick step, they never miss it. Some things never change."

He turned around to see the Hufflepuff still there staring at him in a look that was terror fused with curiosity.

Gathering his coldest expression he said scathingly, "What are you looking at?"

"No-Nothing!" The boy squeaked out.

"So I am nothing is that it?" Draco purred in a lethal tone reminiscent of Snape.

"No..No Dra...I mean No No Sir!"

"Good...Well?"

"Well what, sir?" The boy had confusion in his brown eyes.

"Leave?"

"Oh! Right sir, I mean thank you, sir! Good-bye, sir!" The young boy almost tripped over his feet as he ran in the opposite direction that the two cronies had taken.

Draco ran a weary hand through his hair. _'I am getting too old for this crap,'_ he thought as he said the password to Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore was humming lightly to himself while Draco stood awkwardly at the door.

"Oh! Draco, my boy! Come in, come in. Have a seat!"

Draco watched as a violently orange armchair materialised from thin air and he took a seat. Sinking low in the oversized chair he watched the Headmaster twiddle his thumbs.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy! I bet you are wondering why you are here?"

"Of course I am, sir," Draco said in a polite, even tone. Then he thought stiffly, "No, but I am sure you will tell me anyways so..."

"Right then, Draco…best get into it. Now I want you to recount what you have done in the past for the benefit of the Death Eaters."

Draco began slowly with Albus as an intent listener, with the letters that he sent his father. How in the beginning he had given him as much information about the trio and himself that he could muster. Then to how he eventually started making things up and becoming increasingly vague with details. Dumbledore smiled at this. He also told Dumbledore with similar vagueness about the spell on his shoes that had forced him and Miss Granger to spend more time together.

"Well that plan certainly backfired on Lucius, did it not?"

Draco quirked his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"He meant to get more information from the slight bond that was, ah, forced between you and Miss Granger but it was this bond that caused you to deflect was it not?"

He thought about what would have happened had he decided not to do the tutoring. He may have actually gone through with some of the curses in the book. This thought caused his face to turn white and Dumbledore asked with concern, "Are you alright Draco? What is it?"

"Sir, I have something else to tell you..." Draco's was having difficulty talking and he hoped that even having these books in his possession would not get him in very big trouble.

The headmaster waited patiently for what was coming next.

"My father sent me these books..."

"Well books, that was awfully nice of him was it not? Books are great things..." His tone petered off as he watched Draco gravely shake his head. "Oh, those types of books, what are they called?"

"The books of Purification..." Draco looked up to see that Dumbledore looked quiet saddened.

"You know of these books?" The headmaster nodded slowly and said, "I thought that the ministry had destroyed all of them but they must have missed a few."

Eagerly Draco said, "But they did! These are new ones, ones remade by the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore stood up abruptly, "New? This is bad; tell me, Draco, do you know how many copies were made? Where are the books right now?"

Draco was confused but replied quickly, "I believe that these are the only copies, the lord did not want to have to make more by hand so these would be the ones that he would copy by magic after my initiation. I had them because they wanted me to test the spells out under your nose...so to speak. The books are in the bottom of my chest...I could not stand the sight of them."

"Out of sight out of mind so?" His white moustache crinkled into a smile.

"No, they're always in the back of my mind." Draco leaned over to tie his shoe again. The suede shoes were too good to waste but these new shoe laces were absolute tripe.

"Could you get these books for me? Studying the curses in their base form would help immensely with counter curse production."

Draco stood, glad to be doing something and asked, "Do you want me to summon them or should I just get them myself."

"Oh that won't be necessary. You can just call on Miss Granger through my floo and she can bring them up."

He stood grandly and motioned to his large chiselled fireplace which held rippling flames. He walked over, glancing casually at the merpeoples forms that curled around the marble stone, and grabbed a small handful of the greenish powder before stepping in front of the fire and saying, "Hermione Granger's room, Head quarters." He reeled at the disorienting feeling of having your head stuck in one room and your body in another.

He looked around at the lack of disarray in her room and his lip twitched in disgust. Even his was a little messy. He was just about to call out her name when she rounded the corner wearing a big fuzzy bath robe and carrying a pile of clean clothes.

He watched in amusement as she began to walk towards her closet, his presence unbeknownst to her. He cleared his throat and she whipped around with a small shriek, dropping her neatly folded pile on the floor at her feet.

Draco smiled scathingly. "Nice robe Granger, pink suits you." Her shock was quickly over ridden by anger and she growled. "What do you want Malfoy? Or do you usually poke your head where it is not wanted to spy on people."

He snorted, "Oh, please! If I wanted to spy on you I would do it without getting caught. I am a Slytherin after all. Now I need to ask you a favour."

"Why should I do anything for you? I think that you own me for scaring me like that and for being rude."

"For one, I did not mean to scare you nor did I know that you would be wearing that disaster of a housecoat, and secondly, I am getting a leg cramp from standing all hunched like this at Dumbledore's fire. Now please, will you help me before your room starts to smell like singed hair?"

"It was a birthday gift from Ron!" Here he laughed outright and she went on, "And if it has something to do with Dumbledore I will be sure to help. Now, what is it?"

Draco was watching the fire below his head. "I need you to go into my room, go into the bottom of my trunk and get the bag that is there. The black one and bring it to the head masters office."

He waited while she looked at him.

"Well what are you waiting for?" He asked slightly perturbed.

"I need to get dressed if I am going to be wandering around the school!"

"And?" He looked at her blankly.

"I am not getting dressed with you here, now get out!" She yelped at his surprised face.

"Ha!" He said in a mocking tone, "As if I want to see your bare ass..." He let himself pull out of the fire place with a slight feeling of disappointment. Shaking this odd feeling from his mind, he walked over to the orange chair and sat down again. Dumbledore looked at him inquisitively while Draco brushed soot from his robes.

"Oh, she will be right down."

They waited in a silence, for ten minutes, that was unbroken except for an offer and refusal of lemon sherbets.

The large mahogany door was pushed open by a breathless Head girl. "Sorry I took so long." She walked up to the Headmaster's desk and set the bag on top of it before taking the seat that had sprung up next to Draco's. While Dumbledore was picking up the bag Draco leaned over the arm of his chair and hissed, "Headmaster's pet."

Hermione brought herself to his maturity level and promptly stuck out her tongue and whispered back, "You're welcome, ferret boy."

He grinned slightly before he felt a slight blush creep onto his face and he turned abruptly back to Albus who was studying the books with great interest. _'Honestly, Draco,' _he thought, _'what was that!'_ He began to fidget and cleared his throat which got Albus' attention.

"Sorry, you may go, but meet me here tomorrow to go over your letter for your father. He expects you to be there but I need to perform the spells to check the student body for Death Eaters tomorrow night. So off you go…remember to cause some mischief or mayhem in the corridors near Gryffindor… it is Professor McGonagall's evening to patrol."

He waved them out and then turned back to the books on his desk. Calling Snape at once, the two wizards began to devise a plan to develop counter curses for some of the Dark Lord's more inventive curses. Though it had only felt like a few moments, when the clock chimed twice, it was very clear that it would indeed be a long night.

The walk back to their dorm was awkward until Draco spoke up when they reached their portrait and said the word, "Toadstool."

"Umm...Hermione?" Draco stumbling out as he reached a hand tentatively out to her but did not touch her.

"Yes, Draco?" Hermione eyed him suspiciously.

"Would you...I mean...Do you want to...err...I...damnit!" Draco was turning increasingly red and Hermione got tired of his fumbling.

"Spit it out!" She snapped irritably.

"Would you teach me how to do the wandless magic now?" He looked a little ashamed and Hermione was increasingly amused at his change in character over something like this.

She laughed, the sound echoing in their cheerily lit common room. "Alright! I was not planning on doing anything tonight besides finishing up the w's from the library."

He smiled brightly, showing off perfectly white teeth before looking surprised. "You are almost done the library? You really are insatiable!"

"You better believe it!" Hermione said with a wink and watched as Draco began to look uncomfortable "Well let's sit down and I will explain it to you." As she flopped down on the couch she continued, "Some of the members of the Order picked up on the technique after a few tries…so I will explain it to you like I did for them."

Draco moved so that he could watch her while she talked. The fire was making him drowsy but he forced himself to stay awake.

"Now I had everyone start out with a spell that they found easy to do, one that they find they use often or are fond of casting. Now this was something I myself had done. The Scourgify spell I had to use for about a month while staying with the Weasley's." She held up a warning finger and he held up his arms in surrender.

"I wasn't going to say anything. Honest." He grinned innocently and she laughed, "No but you were thinking it."

She coughed back a laugh then continued; "Now it is the mind over matter concept that allowed me to do it the first time. I believed with total conviction that I had my wand in my hand, so the spell worked even though I did not. Then after the first hundred times of trying to do this while dropping my wand and then attempting the spell or moving it away from my fingers while convincing myself that it was still in my hand I finally realized something."

"It was not convincing myself that I had the wand in my hand when I did not that should be allowing me to do the spells but that I had done it once already and that wandless magic was possible. That it was possible. This is when I began to make real headway."He nodded and tried to ignore the light that was giving her animated face a handsome glow.

"Now, I will show you that it is possible. Here..." she reaching into her robes and produced her wand and handed it to him. "Hide this, just so you know that I am not up to anything."

"You are always up to something," He mumbled while she covered her eyes and he stood up and placed the wand behind a curtain.

He flopped back down on the couch and she removed her hands. "Now pick a spell...anything but the _Vox Vocis Commuto." _

His brow furrowed in thought and Hermione bit back a giggle. Oh how wrong was that? Hermione thought bitterly. That she could find such amusement out of one of his unguarded facial expressions.

"How about, that Siral wind? But no lifting large things like furniture or..." He trailed off.

"You? Don't worry, I honestly don't think that I am up to that level yet."

He face was contorted in anger and then he laughed. "You really had me fooled."

"Thank you...Now watch closely."

Draco looked on as she closed her darkened eyes and shifted slightly. All the tension in her body melted away as she concentrated on the spell and her belief.

With her hair trailing messily around her shoulders, and the fire light turning it into gold and her pale skin, Draco had to resist the urge to just...NO! He forced that train of thought to a crashing halt as he listened to her explain.

"I am drawing the magical energy from within myself and pushing it into my finger tips. The sensation is like a cold tingle and the more energy you direct the more it takes from you. So its best to do this all quickly. _Siral Locutus!_"

Draco watched as a wind centred in the room and Hermione opened her eyes happily as she began to shift logs in the fire with the direction of her hands.

"So, now you see that it is possible? Do you understand?"

Draco nodded his head excitedly and handed her his wand. She looked confused and then said, "No, you need to try having it away from your finger tips and trying to make it happen first."

"Oh." Glaring slightly he laid his wand at the very tip of his finger and tried to concentrate but thoughts of how close she was sitting to him on the couch were heavily distracting him. Then the thought of his father ruined any control he had and he was shivering with effort.

Hermione noticed the subtle changes in him and reached out to touch his arm. "Let that go. Try that weird deep breathing thing you do." He opened an eye and laughed but glanced nervously at the hand resting on his arm. Hermione closed her eyes and said, "Pick your spell, how about a smaller Siral wind? The incantation is 'Siral Locutus.' Now breath, focus, empty."

He shut his eyes tight, trying to bloke out the feeling of her arm on his and concentrate on the idea that his wand was in his hand. Breathing slow and deep, he allowed his thoughts to rush away like water. It was then that he felt a slight push of energy.

Hermione was using her own magic to push his in the direction of his finger tips. Smiling unconsciously, he followed her flow with his own nudges and the cool tremble was felt in his fingers, one by one. Then he opened his mouth and eyes and said, "Siral Locutus" and directed Hermione's wand from behind the curtain. It ended up flung in front of the fire instead of on the couch where he had been aiming, but the drain had began to wear on him and he had lost control of the object.

Hermione's eyes brightened to the point of tearing and Draco allowed himself a slight chuckled before she hugged him tightly, knocking the wind and the thoughts of accomplishment out of him. "OH Draco!" She squeaked and then said lower, "...oh..."

She pulled quickly back leaving him dazed and bewildered. "Sorry, academic achievement just gets me more excited then normal."

He began to smile goofily and then dropped it and cleared his throat.

"It worked just like you said it would!" She beamed and tried to fend off his compliments.

"Well, I knew that you could do it Draco, now, from now on you need to practice as much as you can. Now that you know how to move the energy and that it works you can do it on your own. I am so proud!"

"On my own?" He said lowly.

"Yes! You need to be your own teacher for this sort of thing. I am just happy that you picked it up so quickly. Snape and Dumbledore are the only others who have had any success with it in the Order. Congratulations." She held out her hand and Draco plucked her wand from the carpet and handed it to her. She laughed and shook his other hand and stood up with a large yawn.

"I'm sorry Draco, but if I am going to get through the final arrangements for Sunday's ball, then I need as much sleep as I can get. Good night Draco."

She shuffled over to her door and turned back when she heard him say, "ahh..."

"Yes?" He looked faintly sick and she began to worry.

"Could...ummm...Hermione would you..."

He looked at her harshly and then said, "Sweet Dreams..."

"Oh, you too Draco..." Her tone was light and her eyes held sadness.

He flushed at the thought of his nightmares and watched her close her door.

He was filled with defeat and some self-loathing as he whispered, "Hermione would you go with me to the ball?" But his question went unheard into the silence of the common room.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dear Father

It grieves me most profoundly to say this but I must. I will not be at the ceremony this weekend. I have it on great authority that the old kook is arranging another Death Eater scan for Saturday night.

It would be good of you to pass this message along to others, particularly the Dark Lord. I have planned to make good use of my time here, and have already received a detention with the head of Gryffindor for defacing their portrait. I also found out that Potter has a detention as well, and I am going to make good use of this time with the bane of our Lord.

I am also going to be helping Professor Snape with that new poison that the Lord requested and I am sure that study in this field will help the war greatly. Just think father, a substance that is untraceable, air born and will target any humans who have no magic in them. Yes this will not help us with the mudbloods but it will get rid of half of the unclean population.

I heard through a contact that Dumbledore has been wandering the hallways of the school late at night and that he is showing signs of age; appearing disorientated with his surroundings at times. Blaise said that his father would be coming back into the country for a short while and that this is because he heard that there were muggles renting his properties.

I am sure that you will help him with this and I wish you to tell him of the work that I will be doing for the Professor. The Granger girl has been secluded away much of the time so I have had no chances to practice on her, but that _Impedimentia Crucio_ works rather effectively as a stunning curse.

Now, I have packing to do. Please send my utmost apologies to Our Lord for my absence from the ceremony. I believe that I am right to stay and go undetected by the old fool then to risk it. If I am wrong, I understand the consequences.

Sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next afternoon Hermione stared blankly at the reddening boy in front of her. She had been excited about the upcoming graduation and the ball the night before but the idea that he, above all people would ask her to go left her abruptly speechless and dreading putting together sentences.

"Ahh...I mean...I...errr..." She fumbled and her breathing was laboured. Twiddling her shirt tail she tried to think how to answer him.

"Hermione!" He almost barked, trying to regain some dignity or strength over the situation, and then said in a lower tone as a few heads in the library turned their way.  
"Please if you are going to tell me no, then get it over with...I hate waiting...Please! Tell me if you have another date...You don't do you?" he finished almost desperately.

Hermione almost laughed at the absurdity of that idea but kept her cool and shook her head, her frizzy hair catching her lips. As she untangled herself from her hair she started, "Its not that I don't want to go with you Ron, its just that this entire time I thought that it would be the three of us going together. You know you, me and Harry."

"Oh..." Ron sighed looking very downcast. It had taken him seven years to realize that he liked Hermione more then just a friend, and now that the time had come for a confession, he didn't know how to go about it. Yes, she was the smartest witch he knew, but when they were together, she was just Hermione. She never usually made him feel their intellectual differences and he wanted so much to ask her again but after the distraction of watching her pull crinkly strands of hair from her mouth he felt his mind wander and he lost his nerve.

"Well at least save a dance for me!" She laughed quietly and then said, "Ron, I was wondering if after we graduate you would want to come with me and my family to our cottage in the mountains? Harry won't be able to come right away and I would like some good company..." She blushed a little at the smile that broke upon his face.

"That sounds like a lot of fun! It will be great to get away from the Twisted twins. Did you know that they will be testing out a new line of joke products soon? Yeah" He nodded at her grimace. "I would be happy to get away from that craziness at the Burrow and to be with you..." His last words held a tone that Hermione was very unused to hearing him use and his eyes looked into hers imploringly. Before she could decipher any meaning to his expression, Neville tripped over his untied shoe laces and sent a towering stack of books crashing into their desk, causing Hermione to squeal and jump back while Ron, caught in thoughts was struck in the head by a Hogwarts: A History, Special Edition.

After the short trip to hospital where Ron's black eye was quickly put to rights, they went their separate ways.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The silk of her skirt shimmered lightly in the fire light. She watched as her reflection smiled a secret smile at her and the glass said, "Not bad, Dearie."

She laughed in relief as she ran her gloved hands over her hair for the tenth time. Hermione had refused all help. She found it a tad disconcerting that almost all the witches she knew had in some way offered help towards her getting ready for the ball. Ginny had even looked a little angry at her refusal for assistance until Hermione had explained it to her.

Being neat and clean was all Hermione really cared about in regards to her appearance but for tonight she wanted to prove that she could dress up without assistance. That she could be stylish without help, but above all else she wanted to relax and have fun. She could not wait to see the looks on Harry and Ron's faces. Her smile leapt to her face again and this time she let it spread slowly over her teeth. Her hair had taken a week's worth of trial and error, and of course, research. Most of the witches magazines were highly distasteful to her but they had some very useful information in them.

She ended up doing a rather long loose fishtail braid and had a few escapees of wispy curls that framed her face rather nicely, she thought. Her dress had been a gift from her mother for her marks. Normally she was decidedly impassionate about the clothes that her mother bought for her, but whenever she looked at the dress in her closet she was overcome with the silly emotion of wanting to cry.

It was wonderful; an a-line skirt of white with a tight embroidered bodice that fit her perfectly. She blushed a little thinking about how it made a certain area of her body very pronounced, but regardless she loved it. The back was stunning with thick ribbon corseting which took her ten minutes to do up with her wand on her own. She felt like a princess and finally understood why little girls had that desire. For one night at least she could be a princess instead of a book worm, and it felt wonderful.

All the worries of the past year seemed pale compared to this feeling as she carefully slipped into her bejewelled mask that was trimmed with feathers.  
Taking a big breath and letting it out with a huff she took one final look into her mirror and then rushed out of her room to make her way to the Great Hall. Some things in life stick with you, and these final moments before the Ball would come to her later. The memory would sparkle sadly, but for now, it seemed lovely.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Draco hurried put on his best dress robes. Black truly was his colour, he thought smugly as he studied his impeccable hair in the mirror. A thought struck him and he rummaged through his bags, scattering quills on the floor uncaringly. After finding the book he was looking for he opened it up with a small smile as he sat down on his bed to open it.

Finding the spot, he pulled the paper he had been looking for out, letting his eyes trail over it longingly before setting it with reverence on his nightstand, walking over to his mirror again to adjust his black mask. He thought that he looked quiet dashing in it and groaned internally at the thought of having to attempt to avoid Pansy the entire night. Maybe he would just go and hang out with Scar-Head and the Weasel, he thought with a grin. She would never look for him there. His eyes shone with an eerie light against the harsh black velvet of his mask. He allowed himself an evil grin before getting up, resuming his superior posture and walking confidently towards the door.

The light swung sharply over his nightstand illuminating a small sketch of the head girl blushing before Draco shut the door, tearing away the light.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo  
Authors notes

It has been a while since my last update and for those of you who have me on fav or alert or what have you I apologise! I have been busy moving and this does not lend itself to three hour sessions of writing ten pages. smiles sheepishly

To Carla, You were fantastic on this! The very start I wanted it to seem well like Hermione was doing something other then waiting for her marks...gasps, sharp intakes of breathe and waiting your entire life for this moment...leads me to think of something naughty...lol, so that is why I changed it back...I love what you did! You did not even change my letter to his father! Well much...ps, Draco really does get in trouble with MacGonagall...to get out of going to become a death eater...I could add in what he did in the next chapter to make it more relevant... You are fantastic!

To Justin, yeah I am finally going to the ball! I so need to rewrite this entire thing when I am done...shudders and it will be done! Six more chapters is it? wonders

To Tara, my favorite lady got the internet again! Now she can read this ! explodes with happiness

To Jaru...You rock! This is especially dedicated to you four who without, this story would not only be much crap, but it would not make me nearly as happy as it does at present. I adore you all to little tiny bits!


	16. A Faint Fluttering

A slight quiver of violin could be heard from behind the imposing oak doors.  
Draco glanced around at the milling seventh years, who already looked like a mass of colorful jeweled birds; flitting and talking amongst each other. He adjusted his mask elegantly before eyeing around for Crabbe and Goyle. The great gorillas were not even there yet. Most likely trying to fit into the suits that had been sent for them around Christmas time he thought with a sly grin. Those two ate with a fever that was matched only by the red headed Gryfinndor. 

Speaking of said Gryffindork, Draco spied him with a grimace as he took in the boy's costume from across the growing group of people. A griffin in grey, how original and utterly dull he thought dryly as his eyes wandered. He spotted Harry and could not keep the snort that lashed out of him in. Harry was ever Dumbledore's man, the prancing hero was dressed in bright red with yellow trim. Harry the phoenix. How terribly appropriate, he mused, arising from the ashes and all that rot.

The blond one shock his head of any sympathetic thoughts that had been hauled up as he continued to look for his sluggish friends that shared a brain. Trudging along they came down the main staircase, pulling at their shirts that were too short for their abundant waistlines and the gold buttons that weakly held them were straining pathetically. Draco sighed and was about to go and berate the two for their eating habits when he heard the massive oak doors creak open and the violin trembled louder as he turned.

His eyes used to the somber dark of the torch lit hallway were forced shut at the onslaught of bright white light from the Great Hall. Draco, as his eyes adjusted, was reminded of the wonder that he had felt as a small child going into Diagon Alley with his father for the first time. Everything had seemed drenched in magic, mystery and wonder the first time and it was like that here for him again. The ceiling was pitch black with gentle shivers of lightening accompanied by slight quakes of thunder as the stars twinkled above, oblivious to the world. Thousands of tiny glass balls that had been levitated by hand to drift around the ceiling held tiny flickering fire flies.

There was so many of these small creatures that no candles or torches had been needed at all. A Hogwarts first, Flitwick had proudly said as he directed the charm work. The light shone majestically on the two long tables that stood at the farthest wall. They contained no food, yet, but their centers were dripping with flowers that had been supplied by Sprout and it had all turned out rather nicely. Draco would never admit it aloud, as the sound of the room began to filter back into his mind after the slight wonder the Great Hall had induced upon him, but he was proud of the work that he had done for this. Hermione and him had worked with very little arguing,  
because she respected his taste and he understood the differences they shared and what would be intriguing for both the students raised with wizards and without. He was happiest of the memories that he now had of him and Hermione, merely creating something together.

Crabbe and Goyle finally ambled over to Draco as the students stood in clusters on the dance floor while others went and sat at their placed seats.  
Greggory slowly tugged as his high collar with distaste as his pudgy face took in the room. Vincent grunted out a, "You do this Draco? Looks good..."and then continued to glance at the empty table eagerly.

"Mmm yes." Draco said with disinterest before a slight smile tugged at his lips when he saw his friend Blaise stalk over silently. Blaise was wearing a pale yellow suit, and a small glittering mask that had little trails of ribbon hanging off of it.

"What in Merlins name are you supposed to be Blaise?" Draco asked with a sneer.

Blaise blinked and replied, "I could ask you the same thing, but you are obviously a snake, as always. I, for your information, am the sun."

Draco scoffed and snipped, "And the world revolves around you? Hardly."

"Always the comedian, Draco. I think that you should..." Blaise's reply was cut off as his eyes locked somewhere over Draco's left shoulder at the sound of laughter.

Turning, Draco tried to see what had captured Blaise's normally unwavering attention. It took him a few seconds to focus in on the subject amid the laughing students and the swirl of ribbon and cloaks but when he did his throat constricted tightly. Hermione was standing between her two rather flustered looking friends but Draco did not even take that in. All there was in the entire world for him at that moment was Hermione, and the sound of her laughter, and the curve of her toothy smile.

He took in her tamed hair, her happily flushed cheeks, and the slender dip of her feminine figure. From the tips of her silvery toes to the top of her luscious twisting hair she was stunning and Draco was stopped for what seemed like forever in that moment of admiration. He was broken from his revery, by the simultaneous action of Harry taking her arm and Blaise speaking up,  
"Well the book worm certainly cleans up nicely, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Draco agreed, tone muted.  
Blaise's lip twitched into a grin as he said, "And who would have thought that she had such delicious...assets under all that frizz and dust?"

Draco rounded on his friend quickly with anger but stopped it cold when he realized how he was acting and the eery way Blaise was smiling at him.  
He shock his finger at him mockingly, "Ah ah Draco, don't forget your place..." As he began to walk towards his seat at the table with Draco in silent fury following.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hermione laughed happily when she spied Harry and Ron decked out in their costumes. Harry went all out to resemble Dumbledore's friend Fawkes. He was wearing a bright red suit with a orange tie. His glasses were gone, and were replaced by a highly feathered mask with a bird beak on it. The entire get up the total opposite of what he would normally wear and as she took in Ron's reserved attire she was even more confused.

Her smile widened as she walked quickly up to the two shuffling boys and they saw her. Hermione did not think that she had ever seen either of them so entirely at a lose for words. First they just glanced at her and then did a double take. Harry's mouth beneath his beak hung open limply and Ron's face turned a color that matched Harry's suit quiet nicely.

She went to stand between them and just kept looking at them in their muted silence. Ron cleared his throat groggily and then said, "Hermione...you err look ...nice..." He finished lamely.

Hermione hid her smile and frowned instead. "Is that all you can say Ron?  
This hair took me three whole hours!" She stamped her foot angrily and laughed hugely on the inside at the fumbling that ensued.

"But Hermione...I errr...well you look...I think you are..." He coughed and opened his mouth to try again when Harry cut in with a knowing smile on his face.

"Yes Hermione you look lovely! I think that is what Ron is trying to say"  
Ron nodded furiously at this and Hermione laughed lightly.

"Thank you Harry, and Ron." He smiled at her happily.

She reached out and poked the beak of Ron's velvet feathered brown mask.  
"Now please explain this unusual flock to me. Birds of a feather right"  
Harry laughed and Ron shook his head.

"We ordered these robes before Christmas and we only received them two days ago. It turns out that they had gotten our sizes mixed up, and also...ahhh..." Ron started to peter off in tone and she looked at Harry expectantly.

"The red clashed with Ron's hair." Hermione laughed and looked to see a very morose look on his face. "Well Ron, I think that you, you both looking very dashing! Now who here is going to escort a lady to her seat?"

"What lady?" Ron blurted out before he could stop himself. Hermione neatly elbowed him in the stomach while he tried to apologize. Harry quickly took her arm, and in the pregnant pause that followed with the two of them looking at their red headed friend expectantly, he blinked and then hurried to take her other arm with a large smile.

When seated between her appreciative friends she glanced up to take in the decorations and saw him. Draco was wearing a black robe with a deep green shirt underneath. His hair was as always, slicked straight back and on his face he wore a velvet mask in green and charcoal that greatly resembled a snake. Hermione had to tell herself not to stare at how elegant he appeared in his attire and how sharp and attractive his silhouette looked. She pinked slightly and then returned her attention back to the table where Luna had just arrived.

"Hello, you all look wonderful...especially you Ron." She smiled and Hermione eyes went wide at the sight of her almost violent appearance.  
Bright purple silk clung gracefully to her figure in a strapless dress and around her neck hung proudly her butter beer cork necklace. Other then the later she looked very pretty and Hermione could see a similar reaction from the boys as she had had on them.

"Luna, why don't you sit down with us. Your mermaid costume looks great! That dress is very beautiful!" Hermione gushed. Ron and Harry nodded their heads very quickly and smiled at her.

"I like your dress too Hermione. Did you three all decide to dress as birds?  
Because if you did not do that on purpose that would be interesting." She stared dreamily at Ron who was still in a state of surprised silence.

"We did not plan it but I guess we all ended up that way."

Harry turned back to her and said, "You're a bird?" Hermione grinned and said, "Hence the birds of a feather comment before. I was talking about all of us. I was supposed to be a dove...but I ended up without a beak like you two." She frowned. "I tried to fix the mask but it just would not work. Oh well, at least I have wings..." Hermione stood from her seat and turned around to show Luna the small curved wings that had been attached to her shoulder blades with a charm. They were created to ruffle occasionally and even flap if she wanted them to. She could not see why she may need them to do this but it was a novel idea and she wanted as much practice with the wandless magic as possible. Whispering the incantation, she smiled at the surprised gasp from her friends and some others behind her.

"That is really rather clever, Hermione! Do you think you could teach me the charm sometime? I would love to have bat wings." Luna grinned.

"Well the spell is not permanent but yeah, I would be happy to teach you.They seem so real and I am very pleased with the outcome." Sitting again,  
Hermione looked up in time to see Draco sit down a little ways away with his goons and Blaise. Her head quickly snapped up to the teachers table which had been pushed to meet theirs head on, where Dumbledore now stood clearing his throat for attention.

"Welcome Graduates to the 574th Hogwarts ball held." Clapping and cheering rang out as the still standing students began to take their seats. "Thank you all for your hard work over these past seven years." Dumbledore's eyes resembled the stars in the sky above with all their present shining. He smoothed down his bright teal robes and then continued, glancing at every student proudly in turn. "The times have been hard but they are matched only by the good. We have survived these past years with hope, and I dearly hope,  
love. You were taught together, lived together, ate together, cried together and laughed together. I know that you will all remember this when the final fight comes to pass. Now on to some lighter things..." His eyes narrowed beneath his flaming specticals as he searched the faces along the long table.

"Ah, may I ask Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy to come up here to give their respective speeches?"

Hermione stood happily with Ron pulling out her chair for her and walked quickly to stand on Dumbledore's right while Draco stood on his left.

"Now, Miss Granger if you would like to start?" He gestured softly to the podium and sat with finger tips touching.

Hermione took a deep breath, a step towards the podium and smiled proudly.  
She could see some similar looks of surprise on peoples faces at her appearance and she changed a glance to her direct left. Draco returned her smile softly and Hermione turned quickly back to the other students. The look in his eyes was one that she had never seen there before and she pushed all of her present peculiar thoughts from her mind as she began.

"Class of 2007, I greet you. We have come so far over these years and I am very proud to have known and learned with you all." She stressed the last word greatly as she looked at a sneering Pansy. "I know that we will all do great things and that our time here will not be forgotten. Dr...Draco and I and many of you have helped put together this lovely Ball and I just wish to take a moment for everyone." She began to clap and everyone followed loudly.

"I would also like to take a moment to thank our teachers here, for giving us what we sometimes did not want but will hopefully use forever. Guidance.  
In the end its not about how much you know about Goblin Rebellions, or Beazor that will last you through your life, but it is the strength and love and hope they pass onto us that we will carry forever. Thank you all"  
Hermione was pleasantly surprised when students began to stand and clap and cheer. She happily saw the great tears in Hagrid's eyes and laughed along with the rest of them when he blew his nose and the clapping and cheering got louder. Even Snape looked a tad less sour then usual and he nodded his head slightly in her direction as she smiled at him.

After a solid ten minutes of clapping that died out respectfully Hermione cleared her throat and began the final part of her speech. "I would also like to take a moment to thank someone who without, I would not be nearly as proud of my accomplishments as I am. For they would be sorely lacking without his continued competition and perseverance. Draco, thank you..." The clapping that followed was mainly from the teachers, the Slytherins who eyed her suspiciously and her closer friends who were giving her looks of shock.  
She glanced swiftly at Draco's lightly opened mouth of surprise before saying,"Thank you," and returning to her seat.

Draco resisted the urge to sneer at his entire graduating class. It was an automatic response to any feeling of intimidation that he felt and, this was not time for disrespect. He stood with good posture like his father had taught him and began with a great presence. "I am not going to stand here and tell you of some funny memories that I have of my time here nor am I going to talk about what we should all do in the future. The future is such a vastness of complete unknown and we are all far too complex creatures to follow what another tells them to do or even understand the complete nuances of such a request so what I will say is this..." He smiled at all the now eager and rapt faces that looked up to him, awaiting his powerful words or knowledge and then...

"Good luck with your lives, you will need it." He sneered with perfect joy at the varying looks of dismay, defeat, and some that caught themselves before laughing. He moved to walk away and stopped, playing with their minds. They waited for more and he said, "Oh, and never use unicorn tail in any potions that contain pepper lames. Thank you!"

A splattering of clapping broke out and before Ron could stop himself he said, "That was bloody awful!" Draco, who was on his way back to his seat a few down from the line of griffindor, glared with a fury before he glanced at Hermione's puzzled expression. Then he did something that no one in the room would have expected. Draco tossed his head back and laughed. After the initial shook of this, before unheard in its pure and innocent sound, the laughter from everyone else began.

Tears were rolling down the normally collected head boys face as he steadied himself on the back of Crabbe's chair. It was all so perfectly and profoundly ridiculous. For the first time in a long time, Draco felt perfect with the world at this dismal realization. The war was ridiculous, Voldemort was ridiculous and he was ridiculous for not knowing this all sooner. He finally flopped ungracefully into his chair as the laugher died down, except for a Ravenclaw dressed in a very purple mermaid costume, who had taken a fit of the giggles and had to put her head on the table.

Albus stood with a merry chuckle and whipped a tear from his eye. "Thank you very much Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasly. Snape here thanks you too..." The unconscious smile that had developed on the Potions Professors face was whipped clean into a glare but not before the entire room had seen the transformation it had placed on his person. A dry silence followed this and Snape looked bored as he said, "Can we get back to supper? I would like to get some sleep tonight...if that is alright with you Head master?"

"Certainly, Certainly." He nodded, his white beard quivering with held laugher. "Now I believe that the meal is ready so now commences the meal!  
Enjoy!" He sat down in a swirl of blue fiery cloak that had been charmed to spurt harmless flame upon movement along with his spectacles.

He clapped his hands once and the table erupted in mountains of everyone's favorite fancy foods. Hermione smiled slyly at Neville who dug happily into a large pile of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, his leaves fluttering.  
Hermione turned back to her own plate and began to fill it up with the various treats. Roast chicken, snow peas, scalloped potatoes were some of her favorites, so she with these as Ron tried very hard not to be the vacuum that he normally was.

She gave Harry a pointed look and he laughed in return while cutting his pork. Before dessert Dumbledore stood again, much to the two heads who glanced questioningly at each other and then regarding the white bearded Head master.

"Every year, this is kept very much secret. In all our 574 years, we have yet to have someone tell the younger years about this even though you are all more the able to talk to your elders about it." People tried not to whisper as they waited with apprehension and excitement.

"Every Graduation Ball, you the students will receive one of these papers..." One appeared in his hand and he waved it vaguely, before continuing. "On it are different headings, such as Class Friend, Class Clown, Class Clutz, and Class Athlete. Now I want this not to be a popularity contest, think long and hard during your dessert about who you feel most deserves these titles and do not discuss your answers with your classmates. We want this to be perfectly fair. Okay?" He snapped his fingers and beside each plate popped a rolled up scroll and a quill. Then he snapped his fingers again and the dessert appeared, with him adding, "In honor of the excellent Ball theme, we have added a Best costume for male and females...Good luck and have fun!"

Ron quickly delved into the desert tray in front of him while Hermione and Harry smiled at each other while reading over their lists. There were a few that Hermione had not trouble on at all such as Most Unique, Class Clutz and Biggest eater...but when it came to ones like Class friend, and Class Athlete, it became much harder to decide. Finally the meal was finished and their filled out scrolls all popped away into a large box, Dumbledore was holding.

"Well Now that is finished, we will have your results in an hour. Will the head boy and head girl please take their dancing partners and begin the first dance in a snow ball? Have fun!"

Hermione attention snapped directly to her left where a very red Ron sat staring at his plate listlessly. He thought for sure that Head Girl,  
Hermione Granger would choose, The boy who lived as her first dance choice but was pleasantly surprised when he felt a timid tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Hermione smiling at him broadly.

"May I have this dance, Sir?" She giggled at Ron's huge grin as he could not find words and merely nodded and stood to take her hand. Ron tried very hard to hide his shaking from Hermione as they danced on the slowly filling dance floor but Hermione caught it in a second.

"Ron are you all right? Are you cold again? Ron..." Hermione frowned and he shook his head and avoided her eyes.

"No, no I am fine...I just err...Well Hermione the truth is..ouch!" Neville bumped into the dancing couple rather hard and after seeing the glare that Ron gave him he had scampered off and the red head had lost his nerve completely. "Yes I am a little cold..."

She smiled kindly and said, "Lets get you to something warm then shall we"  
He nodded sadly and followed her over to the table where she asked Dumbledore to send up some warm butter beer. Harry soon followed suit and they chatted about their up coming summer.

"I cant believe that I have to go back with the Dursley's again..." Harry grumbled.

"At least its only for two weeks and then you are staying at the Burrow.  
This summer will be great! And going to Hermione's cottage for a few weeks."

Hermione choked on her last sip of butter beer and he looked at her inquisitively. "Ron and Harry I meant to tell you guys...I errr...Bloody Hell I feel so bad!" Hearing a sharp clearing of a throat Hermione looked at the Head table to see Snape looking at her sternly. "Sorry Professor..."

"Indeed..."Was his stilted reply and she turned back to her now wildly curious friends. "I agreed to take a apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick over the summer...I will only be home for a week so we cant spend as much time together..."

Harry replied with happiness, "Hermione that's great! I know that you have always loved charms."

But Ron looked so crestfallen that it took Hermione's breathe away.

"I knew that this would happen, Once school is over we wont see each other anymore." He said bitterly, his eyes blazing.

"Oh Ron, its not that bad! I thought that you would be happy for me! I will be here all the time and you can visit me whenever...or..."

"No!" He stood up abruptly making everyone look at him. "Its inevitable."  
The tone of his voice was so cold that Hermione felt herself begin to tear.  
"Ron..." she whispered but he had run off through the dancing laughing students and Harry looked confusedly at her before following.

Dumbledore chose that moment to stand and announce the winners. "The people are in this order, Most Unique, Luna Lovegood and John Charity, Class Clutz,  
Neville Longbottom and Neville Longbottom..." Dumbledore looked confused and said, "Well if you all insist...the total seems to be unanimous for both male and female so I will let this slide...Oh no, my boy, stay there I will give it to you..." The entire class had noticed how precarious Neville's plant costume was...It trailed long strings and leaves. Prefect for his disposition.

"Class athlete goes to Ron Weasley and Jackie Small." Dumbledore looked around to hand Ron his award but not finding him put it on the table beside him. Hermione almost jumped when Harry sat back down beside her. "Ron..."

"Yeah I cant find him. I don't know what's bloody wrong with the git..." Harry said sadly glaring at his clean plate.

"There is that and he also just won Class Athlete..." Harry's eyes shone with pride and then they became sad again. "He was not even here to see it..."

"goes to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger!" Clapping blasted around them and they both stood slowly with confusion and walked to shake Dumbledore's hand. Sitting again they glanced at their plaques, "Class Friend" shown mockingly at both of them in glimmering gold.

Harry began to laugh and said, "Well I guess this is a fairly obvious sign that I should go talk to my friend..." He winked before collecting his and Ron's awards and heading off to a farmiliar girls washroom.

Hermione grinned and looked at her name in shining letters fondly. This meant a lot to her...More so then the Class Brain award and the Most likely to go far Awards that she won a little later on.

Draco, received the Class Brat award much to Hermione's momentary giddiness at his sour face as he walked to the podium to take it from a also very amused Albus. He did not even shake his hand and sat back down in a huff. In true brat style. "Best Costumes go to Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom." Hermione was pleasantly shocked at this and before standing whispered her wing flapping charm again much to the delight of those present. Neville managed to take exactly three and a half steps before he fell onto his smiling face. Most people had the mind not to laugh and Hermione helped him up while he blushed.

"And the last Award of the night. Most likely to stay the same...Pansy Parkenson and Draco Malfoy..." A squawk of laughter was heard and Hermione trained herself on Draco's face which was blank.

Dumbledore handed them their awards, both looking at them oddly before sitting down and he said, "Well tonight is almost over." Dumbledore got a strange look on his face before saying, "I just wanted to add that I look forward to tomorrow when all of your families will be here to see you receive your diplomas and that I wish you all the best in life."

Draco felt that he had swallowed his shoe at the mention of family. There would be no escaping his father now. There were bound to be words of some type and the thought of his first real test of will power against Luscious left him feeling miserable and terrified.

" Now if the heads would again start the snowball...I bid you all good night." Dumbledore stood and walked out of the great hall but only Hermione and Snape took note of this action.

Hermione looked around for the very absent Ron before spying Neville looking at his awards with a mixture of shock, sadness and laughter. She gamely taped him on the shoulder while he looked scared before seeing that it was her.

"Oh hello Hermione. Funny no?" He gestured to the Class Clutz award.

"Neville would you start the snow ball with me?" Hermione thought that it was now the best time possible to give her friend her gift that she had been looking for in the library all year. The book itself had ended up hidden behind some old Griffon books, and had not been moved for decades if Hermione was to have taken the amount of dust on top as an indication of anything.

He looked at first gleeful and then shook his head sadly, "I cant dance...very well..."

Hermione pulled him up by his hands, smiled and said, "I have something that will help with that." He looked confused but followed her carefully to the center of the floor. Hermione whispered into his ear, placed a pinky to his life shoulder then his right and while he looked on in wonder gave him a hug. Using her wandless magic she finished the charm. "I give you grace..."

Neville looked a little queasy and then his expression and entire demeanor brightened. "What?"

Hermione laughed and took his hand into hers and placed his other on her waist. "Now move!"

He silently obeyed and as the song played on the look of shock on his face grew. "Hermione! I CAN DANCE!" He was so flustered that he hugged her rather tightly and she laughed.

"Its just a simple, very old etiquette charm that I found. I have already sent you a copy of the spell. Cast it every Monday morning and you will not be clumsy for the whole week."

"Hermione, You are Wonderful!" He shouted before blushing madly. The sound to change rang out and Hermione gently pushed him in the direction of Luna who looked at him oddly. "Now go show someone else that you can dance."

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Harry found Ron in the girls washroom having a moping session with a very pleased looking Myrtle.

"I have known all along..."She said dramatically.

"But you cant tell a soul! You have to swear!" Harry heard Ron say harshly.

"Oh who am I going to tell? I don't have any friends..." She burst into tears and Harry heard the angry low splash that followed.

"Ron?" He asked timidly, moving his mask off of his face as he rounded the corner. Ron was sitting sadly on the edge of a sink looking blankly at the spot where Myrtle used to be above her toilet.

"Huh? Oh its you..." He said blankly, pulling feathers off of his mask and dropping them into the water on the floor.

Harry had had enough. "Ron, if you don't tell me what's wrong right now I will get Hermione in here to talk some sense into you and we both know that wont be pretty. So out with it!"

What Ron said next shocked Harry. He had been expecting a fight and he was not prepared for a honest and straight answer.

"I am in love with Hermione..." Harry was utterly and completely dumbfounded. He stood there in silence with only the sound of dripping water from a leaky faucet to occupy his ears. Harry had known. It had always been buried deep in the back of his turbulent mind but he knew and now that it had been said and acknowledged, he had no clue what to say so he merely listened.

"I have since fourth year...or maybe third but I would just not let myself know it. I even asked her to the Ball but she wanted to go with the two of us...I guess that is my answer. The trio till the end..." He looked very bitter and Harry ventured to speak.

"Ron, have you ever talked to Hermione about this? Asked her her feelings"  
Harry suspected the answer but asked anyway.

"No...but she seems more interested in the golden boy then the sixth hand-me-down Weasley. Who am I compared to the Savior of our world?" Harry was slightly angered at his words but he did not let it get to him. Ron needed a friend not someone to be jealous of.

"Well you are for one, a very loyal friend, and also this years Class Athlete..." Ron's head shot up as Harry held out his award.

"You cant be bloody serious!" He leapt from his seat, slipped in the water and lunged at the plaque. "You are!" His joy was almost overwhelming to Harry as he patted him on the back.

"Now, get over it. You are a great guy and I know that Hermione will always be your friend no matter what happens, as I will also." He held up his plaque. "We both won. Funny huh?"

"You both deserved it..." Ron looked teary eyed and wiped at his unmasked face ashamedly.

"Now you will never know how Hermione feels if you don't get out there and ask her yourself!"

Harry laughed at the slipping eagerness with which he ran out the door.  
Following he shook his head. All Ron had ever needed was a pep talk he though snickering.

The washroom was silent for a few minutes then a moaning voice said, "And I was so close to having permanent company. Drat." All that was heard was a faint gurgle and then silence.

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Hermione laughed in the soft light and shadows as her and Lee watched Neville do an endearing John Travolta dancing impression. He had yet to trip this entire time and every once in a while Hermione's heart swelled at the joyful look on his face. The sound to switch partners rang out again for the last time that night and after Lee had graciously kissed the back of her hand and went off to find Padma, Hermione was caught up in the rush and swirl of the surrounding dancers.

She was pushed harshly into someone's arms. Hermione began to look around for the clumsy person, her eye no longer trained to look for Neville as she began to dance.

"Sorry, but I guess you are stuck with me for the last dance..." She looked up into surprised silver flashing eyes and her breath caught in her chest painfully. Draco stared down at her in opened mouth shock and then he smiled as he began to lead.

"I could say the same for you, but you are so very lucky to have this honor..." He said mockingly, an eyebrow raised with arrogant poise.

She also raised an eyebrow and then laughed. "Still stuck on that last award are you? Never going to change?" She asked softly, noticing the hurt on his face before he went cold.

"It seems that the student body thinks so, so why bother attempting to change their minds?"

She glanced at him fearfully. "You are not thinking of changing your mind are you?" She felt an icy stab of hurt at the thought and the confused look he regarded her with.

He glared and said, "What does it matter what I want? I am just another pawn. I have no choice! I have no freedom..."

Hermione felt the laugh come up unbidden and he growled in anger as she stifled it down.

"You already made your choice! You have freedom, you are just scared to use to or acknowledge it at all..." She smiled as his face went dark.

"But I..."

"No buts! I don't want to hear a thing about buts or ifs. You have the power and ability to do whatever you want now...and I truly hope that you are on our side, I don't know what I would do if you went against us...or me...I don't think that I could ever hurt you after this." I care too much she added in her mind. She looked up to him with bright shining eyes and waited for his reply.

His face held that mysterious look again that made her heart beat faster and her chest clench, and he said slowly and softly, "I can do what I want? Whatever I want?"

"Yes, Draco Aidan Malfoy, I give you permission to do whatever you want. Right now. Whatever you want..."

She had noticed the subtle change in his face but not really registered it while she spoke and her mind went blank as his soft lips came crashing down on hers.

Ron, elated, dashed through the dancing couples searching for a singular white dress. The sight meeting his eager eyes blinded momentarily and then the world turned grey. Ron couldn't move, think or even breath while the blood pumped slower and slower through his veins.

No caress, no touch, no simple smell, spoken words or sound had ever been as pure and intense as this one she now felt. He tasted of things that she had never even dreamed of and the sensation made her knees so weak and trembling that she almost slipped out of his arms, except that he took that moment to draw her flush with his form.

Unthinkingly she responded by pushing her mouth tighter to his and he unconsciously gasped and held her even closer. The seconds it lasted felt like hours. Just as normal thought began to filter into Hermione's system was when the first scream was heard and the room went pitch black with a metallic thud like a sword hitting bone.

Time now seemed speed up and disjointed as Hermione was wrenched from Draco's embrace with a sharp animal like cry and heard him call out her name frantically. Hermione tried to focus her thoughts but all she could think of was Why was there screaming, and people bumping into her in the dark when she should be dancing. It was as her final urge to grab her now absent wand and the thought that she could do what she needed without it that she saw the flash of green light and felt a bone shaking pain before losing consciousness.

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I was so excited to write this chapter...I call it my Labyrinth ball scene chapter or whatnot...Anyway Carla if you can add anything to the prose I would be immensely pleased and I will try this time to be less picky about you changing things because I love this chapter so very much...I want to start the next right now but I will wait till tomorrow or whenever I have time.

I want as always to dedicate this to Tara, Jaru, Justin and Carla...also my niece Koko KiKi, Eye Choo Ka Choo! We are dressing up as Ginny and Luna for the next movie release...yes we are the Harry Potter version of trekkies but oh well...Most of all I would like to dedicate this to special people...My dad whom I missed very much this past week...It hurts just thinking about him or it...I miss him to my very core...

I would also like to take this time to thank anyone who continues to read my story and comment however small and short, these little bits here and there mean the world to this crazy Canadian...I would also like to send out gracious nods to Four369, whom likes my comments and is a real sweetie poop, and to Amanda for running this through her spell checker because Carla and everyone else I dont have one on my computer! My beta got a little upset with me having too many spelling mistakes so I have to send it to someone else before I send it to her...TEAR! I hope you all liked this chappy!

I want to thank FAN FICKER...err that's your name right? You know who you are, because she likes this story even though she is a Ron/Hermione shipper...well I am a Draco anyone shipper and I recently read a Ron Draco one that I liked a lot...so its cool when you can see a different character in another light...I don't know if you like slash or not but I merely am pointing out that before that story I was not a Ron fan really AT ALL...he is more comic relief and I hope his innocence and purity in this chapter made you like him...I dedicate the jipped waited too long Ron to you Fan ficker...he is yours to scoop up from this blow...give him lots of hugs and he will be yours forever...If only that was all it ever took to get over things...lots and lots of hugs...I miss him...


	17. A Tainted Tryst

Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip. 

This was the steady lulling sound that first crept into Draco's consciousness. That noise and his thoughts came into focus as did the lightly throbbing pain at his temples. His primary thought was 'Where in the bloody hell am I?' Sensing that the room was dark and damp, the word "cell" came almost cryptically into his head. The continuous repetition of this word between the faint sounds of liquid smashed through him like a bucket of ice water.

Like a child fearing nightmares in their darkened rooms, Draco squeezed his eyes shut against the black. Hoping in vain that this situation, for which he had not even begun to envision the possible horrors of, was all a dream—a nightmare that would drift away with his loss of sight. Terror coursed through him like withdrawal from a drug, complete with sweating, shakes and nausea.

It was impossible for Draco to discern how long he'd been in this room. Time was moving slowly and it felt to him like a creature waiting in the foliage for the right time to pounce. It was as his heart began to return to a more normal pace that he ventured to open an eye; he was met with perfect darkness that seemed to breathe around him. He waited for his eyes to adjust as the pain in his head lessened slightly. Draco tried in vain to sit up and quickly began to panic again as he realized that his hands were tied behind his back while he was on some sort of straw mattress.

He was still too delirious to figure out what was going on and he refrained from calling out for the simple impracticable notion that sound would cause some sort of horrific chain reaction. He flopped his head about to try to catch any light but none came. He was just starting to wonder where, if still alive, other possible prisoners were being kept, when his heart clenched tightly in his chest at the sound of boots echoing from somewhere nearby. As the steps came closer, Draco's pulse raced harder and he reared back in slight pain and shock at the bright light that sliced through his widened pupils when the door was jerked open.

The dark figure looming in the doorway reminded Draco of a nightmare that he had had as a child, but that fear shifted warily away as he saw that it was one of his father's mute servants. The hulking man reached into the room that was the size of a closet and yanked Draco to his feet. While straining to reacclimate himself to the light, he noticed the muffled sounds of crying and begging as they passed various large, forboading black doors that lead to the other cells.

Draco felt ill with the sudden realization that he had seen this place before—once, as a child. He had gotten lost in the meandering corridors of the massive manor and had somehow ended up in the very location he now stood. It was that vicious clarity that caused his extreme fright…these were the secret Malfoy dungeons, and he was being held prisoner in them.

The tall green door leading to one of Lucius' many studies swung open and the familiar sight hit Draco with the sudden brutality of a tsunami. The assortment of candles lighting the room were the ones that had done so for as long as Draco could remember, and in the past he had always found them pretentious and rather silly. Now, as he gazed at them guardedly, they cast an eerie glow to the room, lending to the overall air of menace. Draco had visited this very room countless times in order to listen in on his father's work and occasionally on Death Eater business, and no harm had ever befallen him here; somehow he knew that this day would be different—that this encounter would stand out in his mind for the rest of his life…however long that may be.

He felt a familiar sense of now pointless pride as he took in the regal sight of his father sitting as he had so many times before in his dark high backed chair swirling fire whisky in a priceless crystal glass. Only his arm holding the drink and a leg were visible. Draco was pushed none too kindly into the flickering light in front of the fire place as the servant left after a precise flick of his father's wrist.

He stood there, a white noise of silence running through his mind as he waited for Lucius to speak while the fire snapped and crackled. When his voice finally trailed gracefully out, its presence in the room made Draco jump.

"Well, Draco..."

Feeling a little disarmed he replied, "Yes Father?"

Lucius did not stir as he replied in the same casual manner. "How has school been? I received your marks from Hogwarts by owl about half an hour ago." He shifted as he pulled the letter from a side table and held it in his view. "Top marks in all your classes...your mother would have been so proud."

Draco swallowed at the implied statement.

"You did wonderfully..." Draco was stunned at the praise, and felt a flicker of hope spring up in his chest, but that burgeoning hope was crushed the moment Lucius tossed the proof of his hard work into the flames, where he watched the parchment blacken and curl as it became consumed within the flames.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" He purred.

"Thank you Father?" He asked uncertainly, never wavering in his stance.

"Thank you Father?" Lucius mimicked in a dangerous whisper. He stood abruptly causing Draco's heart to leap into his chest. "Thank you FATHER?" Lucius bellowed, ugly loathing plain on his refined face as he tossed his glass into the fire with a tinkle of breaking control.

Drawing the cold mask back onto his face he regarded his son with a bored stare. "Draco, son, I have a few questions for you and you will answer honestly."

He swirled his wand in the air and the younger Malfoy heard the sharp snap of someone apparating into the room. He caught himself before he turned to see who it was and waited. Movement was not a good thing when prisoners were being interrogated by his father—this he knew from the many times this he had watched this play out before.

"Yes, Lucius?" A cold voice drawled as the dark form came into Draco's line of sight. That voice was unmistakable—it was his potions professor.

"He will need three doses, Severus," Lucius said to the dark haired wizard. Draco's eyes went wide but he did not dare speak as he listened as Snape explained in a bored tone the expected ill effects from such a high dosage.

"Yes, yes, I know, Severus," Lucius said dismissively. "He's been able to withstand the standard dose since he was nine." At Snape's questioning glance, the senior Malfoy explained, "I've been dosing him consistently in order to increase his tolerance. Now," he added with a dangerous glare, "go ahead."

As Snape handed Draco a phial with a healthy measure of colourless liquid, the apology and trepidation were evident on his sallow features. Knowing he would soon spill his deepest secrets before his father filled Draco with helplessness; with a grimace he swallowed the tasteless brew and felt it begin to course through his system immediately. Snape put out a steadying hand as he began to sway dangerously, feeling his gut clenching in pain.

"You may return to your other duties, Severus." Lucius did not even glance at him as he apparated away.

"Now Draco...I will administer this potion only once, and you will answer my questions. The result of our conversation will determine whether you leave this room alive." Draco stared in mounting horror as his father sat back down.

"To begin, what you were doing at the Ball when we came in?"

"Dancing..." Draco mumbled. Lucius raised an eyebrow in response.

"With whom, may I ask?"

"Hermione Granger, Head girl." Lucius huffed in agitation his eye twitching.

"Why her, Draco?" Lucius asked, his eyes glittering dangerously.

"It's tradition," Draco mumbled. "Head boy and Head girl are supposed to dance to show school unity..." His vision began to grow unfocused and he swayed. He had no control over his mouth but he did not show his terror.

"Alright...and why did you not come home to take the mark?"

"I did not want to..." Draco cringed as he tried in vain to keep those words from slipping past his lips.

Due to his drugged state, Draco had no way of anticipating the sharp slap that snapped his head to the side. He swayed violently as his ears began ringing with the force of the blow.

"YOU UNGRATFUL LITTLE BEAST!" Lucius roared.

Draco snapped—the restraints that had held his words at bay were forced open with primal viciousness. He trembled and his knees finally gave out under the emotional onslaught.

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO FATHER? Sell my soul to a psychotic bastard who is a disgrace to wizarding kind? I would rather die..." Draco almost lost consciousness at the kick to his chest from his father's metal capped boot. The blows that followed Draco's bold statement became more vicious and random as the seconds ticked by, even as the harsh silence was broken by the screams of the writhing, bleeding boy on the floor. Draco ran his hand over his face and felt cold tears, contrasting with the burning blood and bruises, streaming down his face as his father pulled back, wiping a bloody hand on a delicate linen handkerchief.

"Now, Draco tell me all that you know about the Order of Phoenix!"

Draco gulped and held a breath that stretched out ridiculously in his mind. "Wha?" Was all he managed out before he felt another kick to his head. "Draco why must we go through this? You know what happens to people who avoid answering my questions."

"I don't know what you...ar...are talking about...f..father..." Draco stammered out amidst the mouthful of blood.

"Oh, come on son! There are no spells that would override the potion Snape gave you so tell me or..." A glint arose into his eye that Draco feared with an acute intensity. Lucius walked over to a small wooden box on the mantle and spoke into it.

The mute servant that had lead Draco in came in carrying a limp dishevelled body.

"HERMIONE!" Draco screeched painfully, his raw throat clenching from the previous screaming.

Lucius smirked evilly, "Well it would seem that you were doing more than dancing with the Head Girl." Draco barely noticed Lucius holding the sketch that he had done of her that had been beside his bed. He tossed it into the fire and watched it burn as Draco crawled a few feet towards her.

Lucius moved to kick him then, now joined by the mute servant, and the kicking did not stop. The pain that shot through him was unlike any he had experienced before; it was all at once white hot and blindingly cold. He felt something inside his chest crack and he wondered vaguely if it was a broken rib or just his imagination before a sharp kick to the back of the neck sent him sprawling into darkness.

Draco adjusted to the noise of the crackling fire and the flickering of light across his face before he attempted opening his stinging eyes. Lucius was seated in the imposing chair behind his desk, calmly polishing his wand with the blood-stained linen handkerchief. Draco wanted to get up but from the slight twinge he felt in his back he knew that any movement would be highly unworthy of such effort.

His breathing increased and he mumbled.

"What was that Draco?" Lucius said in an almost bored tone.

"Are you going to kill me? If you are then get over with..." He spat while he tried to wiggle his toes to make sure that he was not paralysed. Ouch. Well at least he could still feel his feet.

Lucius's laughter tinkled out almost innocently and the sound made Draco shiver.

"No, no, Draco...well maybe, but certainly not now!" He spoke this with quiet certainty. Standing and blocking Draco's view of the fire, Lucius began to close in on the bleeding boy on the floor. Draco curled tighter into a foetal position but no further blows came.

"First thing's first! We will have to get you cleaned up; it would be unseemly for you to show up at your party in this state…hardly dignified. Now stand up Draco." His mind flashed in confusion and then in wrenching pain as Lucius lifted him up by a bruised arm, squeezing tighter then necessary.

"Where's...Hermione?" He spat out with blood.

Lucius's eyes flashed and he said, "She is none of your concern right now. You need to be thinking about your party." He began to cast cleaning charms on Draco but did nothing to heal his wounds.

Draco cringed at the scrubbing sensation and the feeling of humility. He had not had to go through this since he was very young, it was nothing really compared to the beating or the fear of not knowing what was to happen to him but it still made him feel odd. This mixed with the confusion over the so called party his father kept referring to left him feeling disoriented and a little frightened.

Lucius walked around Draco, as if examining a horse. He half expected him to check his teeth but he was spared this when his father barked, "Stand up straight Draco! What were you raised in? A mudblood hovel? I think not..." He looked furious and for once he did not know how to handle his fathers fluctuating moods.

Draco attempted to stand up straighter and even took the mind to flatten his hair much to his father's apparent bitter amusement.

Lucius grabbed onto his arm and before he knew it they were at the party.

The tall black throne standing in the centre of the darkened room was enough to shock Draco into alertness…never before had he felt more awake and terror stricken then he did in this moment. Looking back upon the events of that night, Draco would be unable to recall the 'party'—it was all gone…after the initial sight of the throne until they returned to his father's study was a vague blur in his normally astute mind.

Though he had no memory of the occurrences of the evening, he would often awake in the night, screaming, trying to avoid the putrid tendrils of remembrance that nagged his unconscious—despite his curiosity, Draco somehow knew that it would be better to remain ignorant of the actual events.

Actions and time were cracked and Draco could bring to mind his fathers laughing face standing over him but then a flash of blankness of expression then anger and back again, as if he were playing a great game with him. Then he felt being lifted and hearing his father saying as the servant walked away with Draco in his arms. "You have a week; it will not be to your benefit to remain silent. Each day you do so will make the next worse. She will burn, you will watch her burn, and then you will follow unless you give me the information I want..." The rest of this monologue was lost as Draco fell into darkness.

Drip...

Drip, drip. Drip.

'Oh, this is familiar,' Draco thought bitterly. He opened his eyes to see that a small window had been opened, and it was not quite dark—either dusk had just fallen or dawn was rapidly approaching; it was impossible to discern which.

What he did know was that the bound girl standing in the tiny square of light by the wall was none other than Hermione and that she was still breathing. He tried to sigh in relief but it only came out as a raw cough that awoke the bushy head from its slumber.

He could see her mouth moving but no words were coming out. Hermione's eyes crinkled in confusion at her present state of silence and he watched the mounting terror on her face as she looked around the room and realization hit her with an acutely visible force. She began screaming and crying silent tears and pleading; at least that was what it looked like to Draco, who could see her sending fearful glances in his direction. His thoughts dully caught up with him as he realized that Hermione could not speak. He coughed again and this sound caused her to begin to struggle at her bounds in earnest fear.

He began to cry at the sight; he could not hold it in any longer. She stiffened and then relaxed as she recognized his tone and tried in vain to speak and get his attention.

He mustered up some courage to break the silence of the dark cell and said with total defeat, body and soul. "I'm so sorry...Hermione. Sorry..." Draco was exhausted, emotionally and physically; through the pain, the tears, and the unspeakable atrocities he had witnessed, he discerned a different sort of pain on his left forearm. The dull thrum of pain was laced with the tingling of magic, and Draco fell into a fitful shock induced sleep as the magical tattoo marring his pale skin shone an ominous green.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I dedicate this entire chapter which at first I did not like but after reading the whole thing over this morning I quite like a lot, to my friend Amanda. I do not have word perfect on my computer and she has graciously agreed to have them checked over by her before or after my Beta Carla does so. I can't wait to keep writing because I like where this is all going. Sorry for the violence and the bondage...but it's so fun to put the little dragon through hell-o. Dedicated also to Jaru too!

I also dedicate this to two readers. Yes to you Fanficky-chicky! I am so sorry that I messed up your name! You deserve a nod for liking this even though it is not your normal pairing...I find that I highly dislike Ginny Draco (B/N: I'm not a big fan of that pairing either)...they all seem so well sappy, but then I have not read many. Anyone wants to shout out a good one I would be more then happy to read and review. And to SamG who thought that it was Ron who ruined things in the last chapter. Like he went all Carrie on Herms and Dracos heads, laughs crazily You sweetie pie! I guess this chapter was a big twist. Hugs everyone and then goes to send this to someone to fix her craptastic spelling. and to tara lovelles forever...and to Carla who did a WONDERFUL job on this...you really added some very nice things to it and I am really pleased.


	18. Into Deliriem

Sorry it took so long for the update. It took reading alot more fiction for me to get back into it. Unbeta-ed.

dodges the knives and tomatoes thrown at her MEP!

He was awoken in mid morning by the sound of a hatch opening. He looked blearily up to see that a bowl of some oatmeal type substance had been messily shoved into the room. Draco felt like he had been to hell and back. Most of his body seemed like it was throbbing and as he began to shift into a sitting position, the rest followed suit with a massive protest.

While swinging his legs over onto the floor the rattle of chains that followed made him cringe. His arms were tied behind his back. Lucious must have thought it amusing to chain his foot to the bed also so that he could barely reach the door or Hermione, who was still tied standing up but looked basically unharmed. He breathed a gasp of relief and then in hushed tones called to her.

Hermione's head turned slightly from its bent down position and she gave him a nod.

"Thank Merlin you' re alright!" Draco whispered and his enthusiasm fell as he saw that she was crying.

"Hermione...Hermione whats wrong?" He became a little frantic. Here they were in a quiet dangerous situation and she was the one crying. Hermione Granger one of Gryffindor's finest was the one crying, not him, and this scared him.

The tears that sparkled down her cheeks were full of hopelessness. "Please just tell me whats wrong? Are you hurt? Was it something they said to you? Something they..di...Something they did?" His heart sinking at that thought.

Hermione nodded her head. "Please just speak to me! Tell me what's wrong...I think I will just go totally insane if I don't hear the sound of your know-it-all voice...Just speak!"

She lifted her head and gave him a look that turned his mind to ice. Then she began to mouth words which he could not hear and slowly it dawned on him. Hermione could not speak.

Two days earlier.

Two figures in black whisked down a dark alley. They stopped to catch their breath before turning into a doorway. The shorter one looked both ways before speaking in a low crackling voice.

"You know what you have to do."

The other nodded and then said, "But we still don't know how to get into the building undetected, and the only way to catch them is to trap them unawares."

The shorter figure shifted and replied with reverence. "I have been tracking you for years and I know that you will figure it out, even through my disappearance you stayed loyal to our cause and I sense a great magic within you. Less of course to mine...but great none the less.You will find a way." The younger man chuckled at his leaders joke and nodded staring off into the distance.

The ancient man went to put a hand on the taller ones shoulder but let it hover, then decided against it. Moments of weakness such as this were not to be tolerated. He counted on the young man who had flourished under his guidance and any sign of resignation or weakness was unforgivable. He needed to feel that his leader held complete faith in him and had no fear. No one could ever know of his utter terror or all would be lost.

With one last glance behind him and the parting words of, "I will contact you the usual way when I make some headway." The two ran down separate ways of the alley and all that was there to observe this brief but vital meeting was a lone cat eating some tuna scraps from a garbage can, who ignored them entirely.

After a stunned silence of five minutes Draco cleared his throat causing Hermione to jump.  
"I had no idea that this would happen, I just want you to know that. I don't know if you believe me but I just had to say it. I feel like I am going insane here..."

An awkward silence followed this and Draco felt a small flush of embarrassment at himself for thinking again that she would reply. This was in every sense of the word bad. Here he was chained to a bed with very realistic and panic striking thoughts of what would happen to them both and he had no one to comfort him; his own thoughts flying through sickening scenarios one after the other at a terrible rate. It turned his stomach somewhat and after a few minutes of hyperventilation he vomited over the end of the bed with Hermione watching him fearfully.

Well at least she stopped crying he thought ruefully before he broke into laughter which dribbled into a gasping cry. "Hermione what are we going to do?" Draco whispered after he had calmed down into a stillness of shock. "That's a very good question Draco." Hermione thought.   
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''   
Hermione had been awake long before Draco had. She had watched the dim light begin to illuminate the small filthy room and Dracos shivering form. Her thoughts went slow, as if her brain could only think of one thing at once. She had been dancing. She lowered her eyes slowly to look at herself. She was wearing her dress for the dance. Dancing was fun. Neville dances quiet nicely. Harry and Ron are gone. Its the last dance. I dance with Draco. He is on the bed. He looked so nice in his tuxedo. I dance with Draco. He is warm and I feel safe. The lights go out and I can't see but my hearing is acute. He is screaming my name. I think I yelled back and then I wake here. 

Her thoughts began to move faster as a sharp pain shivered down her spine. Why am I standing? Where am I? What happened at the dance? Think you nit wit think, You got top marks in DADA and now in adverse conditions you turn into a nit wit. Her breathing increased as she tried to recapture the calm that she had before.

She thought dully, You are in shock but that does not mean this emotion can not help you out in this situation. Okay, now first asses the situation. I am tied to a pole in a dirty, wet, ten by about thirteen foot room. I cannot move and I fear that more attempts will cause my body more harm and that is unnecessary until I feel I can escape. Draco is tied to the bed, he may have been knocked out physically, or magically. He is still alive because I can hear and see him breathing. Now the fun part. Who has us locked in this room, and why are we together?

Simple. Voldemort has captured us. I would bet my hat on it...if I had a hat at the moment but why put us in the same room? Is it possible that they found out about Draco's deflection and that this is some sort of pay back to him? When she opened her mouth finally to call out his name she found that her throat was dry and no words came out.

She frowned and tried again to no avail. Okay this is another thing...Why am I making no sound? I have not lost my hearing because I can hear dripping water and rats fussing about..so that leaves me to believe that my voice is gone. This entire thought confused her so greatly that it took a few seconds before it sunk in. It was then that she began to scream but not even a gasp passed her lips.

Hearing footsteps down the hall she instantly collected herself and waited in slight fear. They stopped at the door and Hermione watched as a small hatch opened and a sloppy bowl of something was pushed through. It was then that Draco awoke. Hermione tapped her foot after he had asked, "What are we going to do." to get his attention. When all he did was stare at the door she stomped repeatedly and he jumped and turned to her.

"Oh." He said lamely, "What?" Gesturing with her head at the small window, he stumbled numbly into a standing position with a grunt and rattled over to the wall. "I can't see much. It looks about mid morning and I can see trees. I know where we are. I don't know if you have guessed, or if you have seen my Father yet. We are in my family's secret dungeon. I know its pointless to hope that they will focus on me and not harm you." Draco slumped awkwardly on the floor and shuddered. "I don't know how many of us from the school were taken. It all happened so quick. I think it was yesterday that I was lead to my Father, where he tried to get me to tell him about The Order of the Phoenix. I have no idea what he is talking about." Hermione almost grinned at this. Certain people among the members had spells cast on them. Hermione had discussed this long ago with Dumbledore when she first started doing wandless magic.

Draco had a spell cast on his mind so that whatever information he had obtained about the Order would be removed until the counter spell was cast. This prevented him from giving anything away even if he wanted to. Hermione had cast her own spell on herself. Until her wand was returned and she was perfectly safe by Dumbledore could she have it reversed. She had taken away her voice. This way even if through Occulency Voldemort found out about the wandless magic there was no way he could ever prove it possible. Draco also had had any memory of Hermione using it blurred so that it appeared to him that she was using a wand. She tapped her foot and tried to give him an encouraging smile but it faded weakly. "Be brave Draco. I have hope that we will get out of this alive." She thought and wished that he could hear her thoughts. Here they were wandless, trapped and being held by an insane man who just happens to be Dracos Father.

She closed her eyes and prayed. "Please let them find us. Please let everyone be alright. Please give Draco strength."

"Anyways, if we could escape this room, which I am sure is being guarded, this place is a magical maze. I know a little about it but not enough that if we were to get out that we would not be trapped by the maze itself." He leaned against the wall frowned and then leaned forward as his hands crunched behind his back.

"I don't know if they have caught Harry or The Headmaster. I am sure that he would have gloated more if they had so that proves that there may still be hope." A look of mirthful horror dawned on his face. "Oh Lord, I have just placed our only hopes with scar head and the stupidest smart man alive. I think I should fear for my sanity. The ones that could save us are the ones that would have got us into this mess to begin with." He laughed and glanced up at her only to hang his head in shame at her frown.

"I know I know. You have faith in them. Hell, if you do then I should too. Well at least I still have my good looks and charm. I should be looking at this from a more positive point of view. And everyone always said that sarcasm was a bad way to deal..."

Draco's ramble was interrupted by a cold voice. "My, my. You sure are talkative today. I am sure we can put that to good use. I see the positive as being you still alive so that I can torture you more. I have always wanted to see how much Vertimsuem one could take before dying." Dracos and Hermiones eyes snapped up at Lucious who was casually standing in the doorway. "But then again I am sure the abuse will deteriorate the will and ruin the experiment a little, but not the pleasure I will get from it. Grab him." A tall black wizard who looked like they could crush Dracos head with their hand stepped forward and be spelled the chain off of his leg. Draco wanted to protest but resisting or not had the same result, smacked around more. Its just that one carried some dignity as long as he could hold the blank face and be obedient. Lucious smirked and stepped around his son into the room to stand in front of a fearful Hermione who had wide tearing eyes.

"No! Fath..." Lucious's smile turned into a glare and he slapped her hard leaving behind a large red hand print. Draco started to have trouble breathing. He turned to face his son while dusting his hand off on his cloak. "Know that you make me do this. She could die quick and slightly painless which is a death that she does not deserve or she can die slowly. It is your choice. Although on the matter of your own death there is no discussion. It will be slow and painful and you will watch this filth die regardless. It is only fitting."

"Now come on boy. You won't die today but lets see how much we can get out of you in blood and screams before I will have to stop my fun. Be brave for Daddy. The longer the show goes on the better." Draco's breathing returned and he snarked. "Of course Father. I would not show anything but the best for you." The slap he got snapped his neck. "Well that was the wrong response I guess," he thought, head ringing.

Turning his back on him and sniffing he walked down the hallway as the tall man shut the door and dragged Draco with him, saying, "Of course we start on the Mudblood tomorrow. I am sure for sure a hideous creature her screams will be delicious." It was then that Draco's weakly built walls crumbled and he began to screech. Lucious just smiled. "You can watch if you like, make it a duet."


	19. The Lizard and the Mouse

Lucious spat on him before going over to his servant to wipe off his hands on a towel. "Even I never thought that you would be that weak. I should kill your mother just for having you."

He leaned over Draco's bleeding form and said, "I guess it can't be helped though. I married for money and what I thought would be a good blood line but I guess her tree was sullied at some point. What a disgusting woman." Draco was terrified. Halfway through his beating an obviously pertrified Hermione had been brought in to watch.

"Well now lets have another does of Vertiserum.Hmm?" He was yanked up and a vial smashed his lips against his teeth causing them to bleed while the servant held his nose shut. It had only taken one does spat in his face before he started holding it closed. Draco coughed and sputtered, the potion burning the back of his throat. He had had five doeses in the past two hours. He was suprised that he had not passed out completely from the beatings. He knew his Father was a master of pain but was going for the brute side of it, kicking and tossing him against walls as opposed to the slyer methods which he was sure were to come later such as broken bones and whippings. For now it was just major bruising and the weakening effect of the drug. He had dry heaved a few times now. His stomach was rolling and making it hard to concentrate. The longer he was beat the less energy his Father would have for her.

"Now Draco. Recite to me the alphabet that you were taught when you were little." "Good God, is he still at this? I know that I resembled hamburger right now but kicking that hard takes energy." He thought as he felt blood on his cheek crack as he spoke. "A is for Alliance. Only with our Lord. B is for Blood. Of which ours is pure. C is for Conquest. Of which we are sure. D is for Dragon. For which I am named. E is for Elegant. For which we are famed. F is for Fear. Thats what we give. G is for Greatness. For that is what we have. H is for..."

Lucious held up a hand. "Stop." He rubbed his temples. "The sound of your needling voice is bringing on a headache. How could you be so inconsiderate of your Father?" He placed a finger on his lip and looked thoughtful. Draco flinched as he leaned down to look him in the face. "You know what? I dont think I want to hear it anymore unless you are either telling me what I truely want to hear or are screaming in pain." He swung his hand hard across Draco's face and looked disappointed. "I am weary now. Its a shame that I have no time for the Mudblood today. But I am sure that Our Dark Lord will be more then pleased to witness my fun with the girl tomorrow." He kicked Draco in the back one more time. The pain made him cry out and wrap himself into fetal position on the floor.

"Take them back." He said bitterly. Draco had closed his eyes and heard both servants walk over to him. He was lifted over a shoulder and could feel himself being taken back down the hallway. He kept his eyes closed the whole time that they were being attached back into place. They opened blurrily after he had heard the door shut. Hermione was tied back up. She was staring at the wall and stepping out of her heels. "I am sorry." He croaked and then started coughing again. The last thing he saw before succoming to unconciousness was a tear slide down her now grimy cheek. They had less then two days left before they could count themselves lost.

Hermione watched as Draco slept fitfully. He looked to be in so much pain and she was sure that he was having nightmares. They were not even able to escape their demons in their dreams. She would admitt it if she could but she was scared. She would have taken his torture for him if she only could. Rather that then see his pain and hopelessness. The only thing was though, if she could talk then she could tell them all about the Order. She could not scream or plead or tell Lucious off. She wanted to in the worst way. Brought up in a home where a raised voice and some chastizing was all she needed for disipline, Lucious's ruthlessness against his own son was completely beyond Hermione's realm of thought. She had always known that he was evil but to turn on your own blood like that? It seemed the worst part of the torture so far.

Draco was crouched in a tight ball all night. He cryed out in his sleep, flinching and mumbling. Hermione spent a good part of the night in lethargic thought. Tomorrow they would start on her. She could not escape that or the fact that Voldemort himself was going to be there. Even though she was raised a muggle and he had not been the ulimate boogey man for her when she was young like everyone else, she knew what he was capable of. They had no way of knowing if they would be rescued, but somehow regardless of it all Hermione could not bring herself to prepare for death. Hermione knew that she would get beaten, and most likely given Vertiserum but she could not give up entirely. Draco was coping but she felt that he had no hope. She also did not know how to give him his drive back.

Her entire body was stiff and sore from being forced to stand for three days. When she could finally sleep she would wake with the stiffest neck ever and the bindings were begining to cut into her skin. It was a minor annoyance compaired to what she knew what was to come the next day. She awoke in the grey morning to an awful gnawing in her core. Trying to the best of her ability to stretch out most of her body within her bounds she could hear that it was raining outside. The cell was chilly and she started shivering. Standing straighter she shuffled to put her heals back on. They were terribly uncomfortable and did nothing for keeping the heat in but the soul of the shoe was warmer then the cold damp floor. The semi silence was starting to annoy her so she began to shuffle her feet to warm up.

This sound awoke Draco with a moan and a curse. He rolled over his arms to stare at her blearily. "Good morning." He said. She dipped her head in aknowledgement and flinched at the sharp pain in her neck this caused.

The regular bowl of oatmeal was shoved under the door. "Well I know that we are not VIP here but at least they could send in some tea. Its just plain courtesy." He said in a scratchy voice. Hermione blinked in suprise as he regarded her gravely and then broke out into silent laughter. He spat out a mirthless laugh and said, "Forget the tea, seeing you smile does just as good if not better. Sadly enough it will problably be the highlight of our day."

He grimaced and then stood. "If it is okay with you I will go into denial now until we are forced to think about everything...Like my mother..." His eyes teared up and he blinked it away hurriedly. "So how about some food? I dont think that it is poisoned but I don't know how you will eat it." He furrowed his brow and walked over to the door as Hermione stomped her foot. "Yes?" He turned, chain rattling.

She made exagerated movements with her mouth and he shoke his head. "Yes yes I know you are hungry so am I." She rolled her eyes and stomped again. "What is it Granger?" He glared slightly. "Back to last names are we now Draco?" She thought before trying again.

She tilted her head down opened her mouth shut it as if she had picked something up and then moved up and over. His eyes showed he understood and he kneeled and picked the bowl up with his teeth.

"Ish vetter not droph this!" He grumbled as he walked over to her. After some fumbling Hermione was able to eat messily out of the side of the bowl while he held it in his mouth. She ended up getting it all over her cheek and Draco smiled and asked. "Do you mind if I get that?" She smile and he licked it off.

"That was the most interesting way that I have eaten breakfast." He laughed before picking the bowl back up off the ground and setting it on the bed so that he could kneel and eat the rest. "You know..." He said as he flopped back down on the bed. " I have never really like oatmeal til now. I would never eat it in the Great Hall." He wrinkled his nose. "But now the awful stuff tastes wonderful. Its Butterbeer, rasberry torte and lemon samon all rolled into one." Hermione smiled knowing exactly how he felt. He laughed and raised an eyebrow, "Well now that I thouroughly tortured myself and my mouth is watering I should change topic."

He looked around the little cell as if looking for something to talk about. "Rats and mice. Hate em! Dispise then nasty little buggers. You?" She nodded in agreement and he became excited. " With their nasty little teeth that chew through everything, and they live in the sewers. I wish that I could just wipe them all out and never have to see their terrible little faces again. Always begging and sniffling." He shuddered and Hermione watched him in detached suprise. "I think that he is having a mental lapse although I am not one to point fingers." She thought before laughing again. He was not even paying attention to her he was just mumbling and shivering.

He may have internal injurys but she did not know. Their lives were on the line and he was rambling on about rats. If at least she had been caught with Harry he would not have despaired. It would be easier if she had someone to give her just a little more strength. She could take pain or so she desprately hoped. A brave face she could have but at least they would never hear her scream or cry. The spell was impossible for anyone but Dumbledore to break and the only thing she could do was wait and hope. And she felt guitly for not being able to be strong for him.

"This will not be the end of us," she thought sadly, "It can't be."

They slept fitfully and Draco weeped and pleaded for her to be let go but to no response. A little after sunset they heard footsteps down the hall. Hermione was woken from her dozing with large fearful eyes. Dracos head shot up and his expression mirrored her own. He started to whimper but went quiet when the door opened. Hermione would be sobbing but she was too dehydrated for tears. They unbound Dracos hands and he flexed his fingers painfully before being dragged away and yelling out in suprise when Hermione left his view. Their eyes searchied each other out before Draco was lead down a different hallway. He was lead to a room to releave himself like they had been everyday and then taken to a somewhat cleaner room in which was a bored looking witch. This was an evil crone if ever he had seen one. She was the Malfoy's family doctor and personal potion maker. Arphrax even had a small hut on the estate which Draco had stayed away from as a small child when she had told him that she would put him in one of her potions if he ever disturbed her. Lucious had laughed when Draco had told him and said that it was true. Whatever thoughts he had of being supirior to her and having his father punish her for saying this had quickly disappeared.

She was the one that Lucios trusted with his life and the potions that sometimes slayed his enimies. She was the one with power and Draco never forgot it. She broke into a gummy grin and Draco almost flinched at the smell that came from her mouth.

" I have been told about you little lizard. I have not seen you in a long time. You are now thinking that you are a big lizard but you are still so tiny. My my but look at how your scales shine." She licked her cracked lips and cackled when he shrunk back against the brute mute behind him who roughly pushed him forwards and he fell.

"I would not eat you for breakfast you little lizard, but how nicely you would scrunch under my shoe." Draco stood up and glared at her.

"Yes yes, pain, hurt, kill, death. Nice to see you again Arphrax. Now enough with the niceities my Father already told me all that." He straightened up and tried to exude disdain. It wasn't hard besides the sharp pain in his stomach from hunger and the aches from the beatings.

She stood almost too quickly for her twisted old age and jabbed a finger at him, her torn and matted skirts swished around her. "Oh the cleverness of you. But will you still have such shiney scales when your father squishes the little muddy mouse?" Draco felt his face twitch as she picked at a scab on her arm.

"But your Father will not let me preform the spell on her that I am about to do to you. He wants you to see the mouse completely..." She thought for a word as she walked around the little room, " Broken. In every sense of the word really." His mouth went dry and his mind blank as she picked up her wand and walked over to him, the scent of her wafting off in nauseating waves.

She mumbled something under her breath and his cuts began to heal but then stopped. "Still the pain but not the marks. Like new again but still the pain." She mumbled as her lucidity began to fade. Her mind had been lost in a dangerous spell but she still remembered Lucious. A fellow classmate whom he used for her knowledge and skill and took in after the accident. Her visage was a result of the spell and her present absent minded lifestyle. Tell her to draw a picture and she spills the ink, tell her to exucute some evil poison and she does it perfectly.

She was still mumbling under her breath and gestering at him with her wand as the large man lead him out of the room. Draco was worried about Hermione but for now all he could think of was himself. "The mouse will follow the cat, and the lizard will follow the mouse but he shall lose his tail till the..." The last of her mutterings were cut off by the door slaming behind them.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

She watched fearfully as he was dragged out of the room and her body was unbound. It felt good to stretch but the guard leered at her and she stumbled ahead of him. She was taken to a damp and darkened room where the servant who face was covered in scars picked up a large bucket of water and before she knew what was happening he had dumped it over her head and laughed.

She stood there, shivering and fearful and more awake feeling then she had been in a while. She would have yelped in shock but no noise had come out. Water dripped down her face and her hair hung down stringily. He grabbed her roughly and began to tie her hands together in front of her. Then he took a blindfold out and Hermiones flight sense came to the surface. She ran to a corner but he went after her, her heels hurting her feet. She tripped, her shoes fell off, and he pounced on her.

From the look on his face he was enjoying this immensely and her heart beat painfully in her chest as her world was plunged into darkness. She was picked up and dragged behind him stumbling as he lead her down various hall ways and through rooms. The floor was ice cold on her feet and her toes where numbing before she was lead into the final room. This last room was inspelled. She could tell because it was much warmer. The floor had changed from freezing stone to warm and soft sand. She almost could have appreciatedt it if she had not been then shoved hard onto the sand. She was slightly suprised to hear the servant say, "Stay." Before he moved silently away from her.

This was how Draco saw her again when he was brought into a sitting area that surrounded a pit of sanded ground. The light on her was blaringly bright and he could see her flexing her tired legs and almost looking bored. Draco could tell this was an act but he was relieved to see that she was alright.

The large servant put a heavy hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit in a chair. His yelped as he leaned hard on a bruise on his back and Hermione's head whipped around in his direction.

"Hey Hermione, I am alright...how are you doing?" She nodded and looked relived and Draco sensing her in no danger for the present moment started to study the room. He had never been here before to his knowledge. It must have been specially prepared by the look of things. Directly across from him was more chairs and a very large throne of horns that loomed out of the darkenss menacingly. There was also a tall wooden stake in the center of the room near Hermione. It was hard to see the ceiling with the blindingly bright light shining down on the center of the room. He turned to glare up at the servant and jumped when he heard a door opening and shutting loudly.

Lucious stepped into the ring with a swagger and a gleam in his eye. Draco felt like he would lose what little he still had in his stomach. Lucious looking happy was just about the worst omen out there for her. Deatheaters began filing in to the seats across from him and he was suprised to see that the throne was now occupied. The group wore no masks but Voldemort, and Draco was certain that it was him from the mere dread he felt from looking at him, wore his hood up and only the glint of his eyes was visible.

"Welcome! Welcome my Lord and fellow commrades." Here he bowed graciously like he was a ring leader. Draco would have snikkered at the display but he knew that Hermione was the main event. "We are here tonight to celebrate. On the part of our most elite Lord the plan he devised succeded and we now have in our custody about one forth of the Hogwarts Mudblood and Halfblood children." Here Hermione shook her head in denial and Draco gritted his teeth.

"We can irraticate them and use them to draw the enemy in to our clutches." Draco could hear the other side applauding and the Dark Lord laughing softly.

"Now you all have been informed of who this young lady is. They called her the Brightest Witch of our age. A clever mouse is still just vermin and see where the stupid Mudblood ended up."

"She is a good friend of Our Lords worst enemy and tonight gives me great pleasure to do my Lords biding."

He strode over to her, grabbed her bound wrists and dragged her up to stand. He was wearing long black leather gloves so that he would not have to touch her and his hair was tied back. She fought silently against his hold and he wore a devish grin.

"See how she scampers, nothing more then a little scared mouse." He backhanded her so hard against the face that she fell back onto the floor. She tried to move away and turned around on all fours to get away and her head hit hard against the wooden board that was set all around the room. Lucious followed her with slow steps. "Stupid vermin. I would kill you now but it is Our Lords wish that you suffer more. You should be grateful." He spat out in her face causing her to flinch. He stood back up and kicked her sharply in the side. Draco could see her silent scream but none of this felt real.

He screamed for her and stood up quickly, only to be shoved back down into his seat and punched hard. With enough force to make him dizzy. He struggled out of his seat, cried out her name and she stumbled up and tried to go towards the sound of his voice. Lucious placed a sharp kick to the back of one of her knees and she fell painfully.

"I apologise My Lord for this boy's behavior." He gestured carelessly at the servant and Draco soon found himself tied tight to the chair. Lucious walked over to a trembling Hermione and hauled her to her feet and pushed her straight into the stake in the center of the room.

"Now you flithy little Mudblood. Tell me about the Order of the Phoenix." Tears streamed down her face and all she could do was akwardly hold up her hands in his general direction and flipped him the bird. He responded by flicking his wand at her and invisible bonds tied her to the stake that she had been leaning against. She struggled silently against them as Lucious walked up to her and said softly. "You know you don't need fingers to answer the question." He grabbed her hand and took a small dagger out of his belt and Draco yelled.

"No stop it! Dont hurt her. Take it out on me! I have been Harry Potters best friend for a year now! Leave her alone and take it out on me!" For once Draco said his name without a hint of shame, jelousy or anger, he would say or do anything now to save her.

Lucious looked disgusted but also forgot about Hermione's finger as he turned to Voldemort and asked, "I think it would be fitting if he were down here also." Voldemort raised a hand and gestured for Lucious. He went over and there was a short discussion in which some of the Death Eaters leaned forward to hear better. His Father nodded his head and walked over to the other side where Draco sat with pitiful hope in his heart.

Using his wand he levitated Draco over beside him and congured up another stake right next hers and Draco found himself bound next to her. Hermiones head was jerking around at every little noise and Draco said quietly, "They put me beside you."

Hearing him speak but not his words Lucious went up to his son and punched him in the stomach making him retch in pain.

"Silence you imbicil."

Draco watched as his father preformed another spell on him before conguring up a table that was covered in various things. HIs eyes glanced over the table before he gulped silently and his eyes darted away. "You will get your wish Draco. You will be able to take her pain but..." He picked up a black whip and slashed her across the chest, tearing her shirt and Draco yelled out in suprised pain. "She gets to take it too." Draco could see wet spots on the eyes of her blind fold and it fell off when Lucious hit her across the face leaving a long bloody strip. Hermione was shaking in fear and pain. The whip was magically laced with an acid, so not only did the marks it left hurt but they countinued to sting sharply afterwards.

She blinked at the intrusion of bright light as he eyes grew accustomed she gazed around in fear. Voldemort was grinning evily at her and she yelled and fought her bonds. Lucious laughed and hit her until she was dizzy with pain. Draco was crying and his lip was bleeding from where he had bit it. Hermione was still shaking but when she looked up at him she was not so scared. His eyes held her like a magnet and come hell or high water she was going to keep looking at him. His dirty face, blood dripping from his chin down his shirt and flame blue eyes.

They were suffering yes but it was together. Hermione felt a strength within herself that she did not know was there. She had prayed to be able to give him strength and here he was giving it to her instead. The pain was still fresh but all noise died down to a dull roar. Lucious gestered to a servant and he handed him a small vial. He forced open her mouth and her attention broke from the blue fire as the bitter taste of Veritiserum was forced down her throat.

He asked again, "Tell us everything about the Order of Pheonix!" Lucious punctuated his demand with a hard slap and she spat out blood.

She told them everything, much to Draco's increasingly depraved sense of humor they tried to hear. Hermione told them what the order had found out about Horucruxes and how strong Harry had gotten, and how to even find and enter the base. She told them who was in the Order and also told them in very nasty terms where to stick their DeathEaters masks.

Lucious looked very confused and his eyes flicked slightly paniced towards his master. Then he laughed, startling everyone who had been intently listening to nothing, "The stupid prat is so scared that she has lost her voice. I humbly apologise Master." He kneeled on one knee and Draco tried to hold back a snikker.

Voldemort lifted up a scaley hand with long curving fingers and clenched it into a fist. Lucious laughed and then said, "You two are very lucky, you will live one more wretched day but tomorrow will be your last. Now on with the show." He went forward to Hermione and Draco gritted his teeth as he slid his small dagger along her exposed skin. "So very pretty for a Mudblood. Look at how vain she is to grow her hair." He grabbed a handful and pulled hard, yanking some from her scalp and then shook his hand disgusted. "How could anyone be so proud of such a vile mess. I will do you a favor, being bald will suit you better then having that rats nest. You will be little more then a skeleton tomorrow anyways when we burn you." Hermione's eyes shot up in fear. He grabbed her curly hair and began to hack large chucks off, cutting so close sometimes that she had thin cuts all over her scalp. She grunted in frustration and pain but no sound was heard.

"Oh how foolish of me!" Lucious grinned evilly as he ran the blade slowly down his own cheek, eyes learing at her in depravity. "I forgot to mention that we have decided to burn you at the stake. Actually the very one you are tied to now. The pain I hear is unbearable while it lasts, and to see the flames that close is terrifying, at least until your eyes melt out of your skull."

Hermione felt the small amount of food she had eaten rolling around in her stomach. She hoped if she did puke that it would be in his face.

Lucious turned to Draco and smiled a secretive smile. "How would you like to watch your darling whore burn to a crisp? You know..." He tapped the blade meditavelly against his chin. "We could even Impervious her so that she danced while on fire. The pain would be worse but it would be glorious to watch." Draco screamed an angry animalistic sound and fought to the point of bruising against his bonds.

Hermione was staring bleerily at the floor. At all those tiny grains of sand. Seeing the light and color but not really aknowlodging them. Lucious wandered over to Hermione again.

He cupped her face and she did not look at him. "The real fun though will be before we kill you. Greyback, if you will."

He moved to the side and conjured up a chair as one of the Deatheaters from the stands came down and took off his cloak. Hermione felt like a small deer in front of a tiger. Whoever this man was the strength and ruthlessness came off of him in waves and she could see Draco shaking in fear and struggling against his bonds with renewed vigor.

He had straggly black grey hair, a sharp scruffy face and from the way he moved, was all muscle. His face gave no emotion not at least until he was standing right in front of her. She shivered from the piercing stare he was giving her. Greyback reminded Hermione of someone but she could not put her finger on it and her heart had started to beat painfully in her chest.

Lucious laughed and said, "I don't think she knows you Fenrir. The know it all does not know you. That is really rather funny." He chuckled and nodded to someone in the audience who nodded back and then all eyes were on Hermione and Greyback.

He leaned in close and she flinched as he exhaled and took in one long breath of her scent close to her neck. Draco was almost going crazy. He knew that they would most likely die but for them to bring this man, this half man, into the ring was making him panic.

Fenrir laughed, and it almost sounded like a bark. "Such a young fresh girl. Barely a woman. How tragic." He moved too close to her and invaded her space with the sweet tang of blood that rolled off of his breath. "I will know you initmately and then I will tear your sweet bruised flesh apart. How delectable. We are lucky there is a full moon tomorrow night." He raised a hand and brought an unusually sharp nail down the hip of her dress leaving a long tear that revealed a pale thigh and dark purple bruises. Hermione screamed silently and fought against her bonds and Draco finally released his small breakfast into the sand in front of him. The Deatheaters were laughing almost hysterically and the Dark Lord was clapping.

Hermione was so scared and revulsed that she felt her teeth chatter painfully and when he turned again to her to run a claw down her chest where her dress was torn revealing her bra underneath her last concious thought was that she finally remembered who this man reminded her of and it was only the monster inside they shared. Remus Lupin was the man and she was certain that Greyback was a werewolf.

When he grabbed her head and lapped at her cheek was when her lucidity left her and she shamefully welcomed the darkness.

Lucious turned apologetically to the group. "We could wake her up but I feel that it would be best to leave her with her thoughts..." He grinned maliciously, and said. " And nightmares. Thank you all for coming and we shall see all of you tomorrow at sunset. Moon rise is at 8:32. Be prompt or you will miss out on the fun." He wandered over casually to his son grabbed the side of his head and began to slowly cut off chuncks of hair. "Am I not brilliant at this Draco? Do you think I should have been a hairdresser?" He slid the blade jaggedly down his forehead and cheek and he cried out in fear and pain.

"There now son, you too have a scar, just like your best friend Potter. Only after tomorrow night even Dobby will not be able to identify your sliced up corpse. And I make you the promise that you will be alive to feel every single cut." Draco jerked violently at his bonds, blood trickling down his face and dotting the sand.

"I hate you! I hate you you stinking coward. Give me a wand and I swear..." Draco screamed, enraged.

"You'll what? You don't have it in you to kill. I know you better then anyone. You are the coward, and you will die as that deems fitting." Lucious flicked his wand at Draco and healed his most angry wounds except the cut on his face and then gestured to Draco's favorite brute who then forced him to stumble from the room. Lucious sat back in his chair and laughed loudly into the empty room.

Draco was tossed uncerimoniously onto the hard straw bed and left there. Hermione was already tied up and he could not help thinking how small and fragile she looked. Crying out in frustration, he tossed onto his back, effectily cracking his back and bending a finger in the wrong direction. He was glad that she was still out. He dearly wished that she would sleep through the entire thing. Greyback had been the bogeyman since he was little. Killing was one thing. Draco had expected that but what they planned to do tomorrow was unspeakable. He fell asleep regretfully only to be awoken an hour or so later.

Hermione was awake and crying. The look in her eyes when they met his made him ache as he never had before.

He stumbled up and went to her side, the chain around his ankle digging into his flesh as he pulled to be closer to her. "Oh Hermione, I am so sorry. God! I wish I could...just...Oh if only we had our wands we could get out." He put his forehead on her shoulder and the tears dripped straight down onto the cold floor.

"This should not be happening." Hermione turned to give him a kiss on an unmangled patch of hair. He looked up at her with a light in his eyes. "I could chew through your bindings and you could free yourself." Pretty hope crept into her head as he twisted around her back to her hands. He went to bite when he smelt it. "Poison." He said blankly, for the years in Snapes classroom had taught him well.

Hermione began to struggle and he stood up to face her. "The bindings are soaked in poison...If I..." A look of frightening resolve came to his face and he went back down to her hands. She twisted so that he could not get to the cords and he angrily stood up again.

"Hermione, I dont care about me. I would happily die if I knew you had a chance of escaping. Please let me do this for you." She shook her head so hard that it whacked hard off of the pole she was tied to. Draco started to tear and started to plead. "Please!" He stared desprately into her eyes and she began to shake. "After all the bad I have done, let me do this, its a good way to go and at least you would have a chance. That alone would mean I could die happily, if I believed that you could get away. It would b-be the most worth while thing that I have ever done."She mouthed out the word no and shook her head again. He broke down and pressed his forehead against her cheek. Hermione turned and placed a dry lipped kiss to his forehead before he sliped to the ground and cried.

Draco looked up to her from the floor. He wanted so badly just to hold her. He just wanted to be comforted and give it back to her. He gazed sadly at her brusied body. Without thinking he leaned forward and began to place tiny kisses on the tops of her feet. He could feel her tense and then relax as he looked into her earth brown eyes for permission. A slight nod of her head and he bent down to her ankles.

She began to shiver from the contrast of cold air and warm skin. Hermione was not very experienced when it came to intimacy, she had never been with a man before but how he was making her feel right now was beyond what she could have imagined, and it did not feel sexual, it was beyond that. It was merely like he was loving every part of her from the tips of her toes, up her legs where he respectfully avoided her thighs, to her stomach, up and down her wrists, her shoulders, to her forehead. Never once hovering over her lips but placing one last kiss on the very tip of her nose.

Draco turned, his chain rattling and wandered over to the bed. "Goodbye Hermione." He whispered before lying down with his back to her.

Hermione awakes sharply from a nightmare with a small yelp. Greyback had just caught her. She shuddered as the room began to spin. This could not happen this way. She could feel it down to her very bones. She had to escape. Hermione looked over at Draco's restless form and smiled a very small smile and that was all it took.

The image formed concretly in her mind. The bindings on her wrists, each and every tiny fiber she forced her wandless magic to pull apart thinking the spell word in her head. Convincing herself in her semi lucid state that she was saying it aloud. Mouthing it, screaming it to the point where she could feel her throat begin to hurt from the effort.

Thoughts swirled through her mind like a sandstorm. Everything was worn and harsh. There was no more hiding here. She forced her mind to believe. All those years of training and she finally had a challenge and she would not back down. If this could work, which it would, there was no room left in her mind for doubt for doubt ment death, then she could save everyone, including Draco.

A sweat broke out over her entire body and a fever took her. Stomach clenching and head throbbing she laughed when she felt the first strand pull apart like wet paper. With this small victory she redoubled her efforts as the room turn a sharp turn and she began to dry heave. After this spell she countinued with the dim light of the almost full moon shifting the shadows around the room. With a final burst of energy her pupils went small and she threw her head back with a crack as she knocked herself uncouncious.

The bowl of oatmeal was shoved under the door and awoke Hermione and Draco. She groaned silently at the ache in her head and Draco stood to get their last meal. He set the bowl down on the bed and sat next to it. Hermione thought, "It must have been a dream. I did nothing special last night besides get delirious and bang my head." For some odd reason she felt oddly revitalised. Draco wandered over to her and asked, "Are you all right? You look a little worse for wear." That was when she raised her hand to her head. They both stared at it like it was the strangest thing they had ever seen and then Hermione laughed, she laughed so hard tears streamed down her face as Draco gazed at her in awe.

Only a few more chapters to go two at least four at most. Thank you for anyone who bothers to read this far. It means a great deal to me. Thank you. I hope to finish this before the next book comes out because I fear it will mess with my attemps. Have a great day.


	20. Ghost

Arphrax sat on a stool muttering and humming to herself as she tore apart a worn piece of fabric. Her head shot up and she smiled a toothy grin. "They are coming! Of course they are coming they come every year. Like moths to the flame." She began humming again and tearing the fabric apart more furiously. In a sing song voice she said, "The mouse will follow the cat, the lizard will follow the mouse. The mouse and the raven will chase away the snake and it shall be no more. But if it were not for the Lizard then the poor little mouse would have never have tried to chase away the snake and it should also get due credit." She looked very pleased with herself and tossed the last scrap of cloth behind her head. She looked down at her hands seeming rather confused and then stood up abruptly. "It is time for me to leave now." She said with clear conviction. She ambled around and gathered her shabby cape and gnarled walking stick and left through a side door into the weak morning still cackling and humming. Truly a crone if there ever was one.

..................................................................

Draco wanted to question it. He wanted to know how her bonds had come off in the night but he did not want to jinx it. So he said to her after it had sunk in, "Thats a great start Hermione! Now where do we go from here?" She looked at him in surprise and then started laughing again until she got silent hiccups. Draco then went over and picked up the oatmeal bowl with his mouth which she happily accepted. She had not felt this good since the dance back at Hogwarts. After gulping down half of the food she handed the bowl back to Draco. While he was eating she concentrated and watched with glee as the ropes around her middle and ankles began to glow and wear down.

Draco watched in surprise and a clump of food fell out of his mouth and back into the bowl. When the bonds fell off Hermione tried to step forward but her legs here too cramped and all she did was fall over. He stood up and rushed over to her and before he could ask if she was all right she just smiled up at him with a dirt streaked face. She lifted her arm and grabbed onto his shoulder and stumbled over to the cot. Tears shone in her eyes and she through her arms around him. He was stunned. How was it that she could do the magic that she was? Hermione reached around his back and began to dissolve the rope around his wrists. He flexed his hands and then hugged her tightly. "I just cant believe it! Can you do the same to my ankle?" She nodded her head and put her hands over the chain connecting him to the bed. It was as like it was made of tin foil and the chain tore in half. Jumping up he danced around the room laughing but then stopped abruptly. "We need to get the door open. At least then we would have a fighting chance, but the magic may be too strong."

Hermione crouched deep in thought before she smiled and walked over to the heavy old wooden door and with some strength pulled the pins out of the hinges. The door almost knocked her over with its weight but Draco hoped up and caught it. "What will we do with this now smarty pants?" He laughed.

She gestured with her hand for him to follow her as she hobbled to look out of the door way. Blank stone walls ran as far as she could see on either side. "Thats strange..." Draco whispered, "There were doors all along each side last time I was here. See I told you...nothing is what it seems down here."

Hermiones fingers groped for his and held on tight as she picked a direction and began to creep down the hallway with him, her eyes wide for any signs of danger. His heart was beating painfully, but it was not from fear. Draco was elated, if in the very least because there was the possibility that what was to happen in a few hours would not happen. That there was the small chance they would be caught again and their deaths would be possibly quick if not painless. Hermiones mind was clear, her only real thought was escape and her DADA training was sharp in her mind.

They came quietly upon a corner after a short walk and peeking cautiously around saw one of the large men who took them to and from Lucious everyday, snoring in a chair down a hallway lit with torches. Hermione turned to him with a devious look in her eyes and held up a finger to her lips for silence. He tried to hold her back but she slipped out of his grasp and crept closer to the sleeping minion. With a decisive flicking of her wrists the torch above his sleeping head came down hard. He barely moved but for a look of pain flashing across his face as he was knocked unconscious. She giggled silently in triumph and walked to put the torch back in place. She skipped back and grabbed his hand as he laughed.

They wandered through the maze of hallways, heart beat shuddering at every unknown sound. It felt good to be walking around and Draco reveled in this tiny freedom and defiance. It was nearing mid day from what they could tell from out of the small windows that they passed. For the last while they had been passing Draco's shoes between the two of them, because the floor was cold and damp and hard on the feet. Draco was getting tired and they seemed to have gone around in the same circle about six times to his count. Discouraged he slumped down on the floor much to Hermione's annoyance. She tried to yank him up to standing but he pushed her off with more force then he intended but Draco did not apologize. He looked in the opposite direction and said gruffly, "We only have a few more hours left before they notice that we're gone." She snapped her fingers impatiently and pointed in the other direction down the hall.

"What we need is a wand or another room to haul up in." He let out a weary sigh. "They will catch up with us, I know it." When he said this Hermione kicked him none to kindly in the shines. He yelped in suprise and jumped up and yelled at her. "What was that for Granger? Is it that you know that I am right? I am sorry to say cupcake but I can't get us out of here. I wish I could. I wish that we had some way out, but miracles dont happen. Not in this place. We need to hide, the Hogwarts people have not found us yet but the longer we can stay alive the better. We just need to find a room...Hey are you even listening to me Granger?"

Hermione had been staring blankly down the hall since the middle of his small tirade but try as he might Draco could see nothing at where she was looking. "What are you looking at Mudblood?" He snapped his fingers in her face and she turned to him in frustration. She made some strange gestures and pointed at the end of the hallway. Draco wondering if she had lost it when she leaned down to draw in the mud on the floor. Before he could read what she had drawn out they heard a noise like heavy footfalls behind them and Hermione grabbed his arm and yanked him into a ran down the hallway.

She lead him down the hallways like she was following something and it was in that moment that he knew. He would put his trust in her, he would follow her and let her lead him where ever it took them. She had far more conviction as she turned seemingly random corners then he had ever felt. "Okay Hermione, where are you taking us?" She ignored him and kept going now at a slower pace as the foot falls that had been behind them disappeared completely.

Hermione had no idea why Draco could not see Crookshanks turning corners in front of them but as her cat had appeared sitting calmly in front of them as soon as Draco had uttered, "I wish we had someway out..." She was not about to let this go. It may very well be a trap but she felt no ill from the cat and she trusted this instinct. After a good half hour Crookshanks disappeared around a corner and was gone. Dejected but hopeful she slowed down to a stop in the center of the long hallway. They had been steadily progressing up hill and it had become exceedingly less damp. The torches had changed from basic wood and wrought iron to more detailed sconces with glassed encasing. Draco had noticed this but it was not until she stopped walking that Hermione had. She looked around with surprise evident on her face and Draco just nodded to her. They took a small break, neither having had exerted this much energy in over a week.

"You are quiet something there." He mumbled, "I am sorry about the name calling." She smiled and pointed to herself and mouthed the word "Mudblood." Then pointed at his chest and mouthed the word, "Pureblood," and shrugged her shoulders. He caught this because he was watching her carefully. Hermione hopped up from sitting on the stone floor and twitched when she thought she saw Crookshanks tail dissapear around a corner like he was stalking prey. Hermione helped Draco to standing and held her finger up to her lips to tell him not to make a sound. He followed and as they got closer to the corner they heard a very familiar voice talking to a house elf.

"Now listen very carefully to me Grout, I want you to move her only just before our revels tonight. I want the traitor to watch her die before he is killed. I want his mother to see what her son has become but if plans change...I think that the holding cell at our winter house shall be sufficient to hold her until further notice. You will get my word when I want her to come and if you do not then take her there. That is all"

Shuffles and grand whimpering apologizes could be heard before a loud sucking of air which made their ears pop. Hermione glanced at Draco's hard face and then peaked around the corner. She watched Lucious play with his shinning silver dagger for a few seconds before she made up her mind. She turned and gave a shocked Draco a quick kiss on the cheek and before he could stop her walked straight into the hall. Lucious stood still for a few seconds not making a move when she accioed both his wand and dagger. A gasp of surprise came from Lucious as she used the dagger to cut his wand in half. Draco stepped behind her and asked, "What did you do that for? We could have had a wand!"

"Draco!" Lucios yelled. "How did you get...? " He frowned with a grunt, his eyes going back and forth between them searching. "No matter, I will kill you both now." He lunged but bounced slightly comically off an invisible barrier that Hermione had erected as soon as she had gotten his wand. He felt up the barrier and then stepped back. "They will come for you, regardless of the fight you hellions put up they will get you and they will destroy you both and all the rest." He began pacing like a caged tiger.

"You have no where to run now Draco, it will all be over soon. Your resistance is futile. You don't even have a wand, your stupid Mudblood broke it." He stopped pacing and stared hard at Draco. "You were never good enough to be my son you piece of filth." Lucious was mad and not thinking clearly. If he had been he might have noticed that Hermione did not need a wand, but in rage he did not even blink an eye about it. He turned and with a small swish of his cape walked away. Draco stepped forward through the barrier bracing himself and walked slowly up behind his father, grabbed his shoulder and went to punch him as Lucious's cane came down with a sharp rap at his ribs. You could see the disjointed loathing in his stone grey eyes. He began to hit his son on the floor with a ferocity. Draco could see Hermione crying out to him and he swiped out at his fathers feet with his leg and watched as his father fell and kept falling out of sight. The room spun slightly before Hermione rushed to his side. Lifting him up gently, they walked over to look down the stairs where Lucious lay, his leg distorted at a weird angle. Weakly he lifted up his hand and beckoned, croaking out, "Draco..." From the top of the stairs he looked blankly down at the man whom he had thought that world of and said what he needed to. "You were wrong, You were never good enough to be my father." A look a rage smeared across his face and stayed there as Lucious stopped breathing. Draco turned to her and said in a small voice, "I never meant to, but its over now isn't it?" She nodded sympathetically and supported him as they limped away. He leaned down with her support and picked up his fathers snake cane and when Hermione saw Mrs. Norris walk back and forth impatiently ahead of them she did not falter in step, merely gestured in that direction the Draco and helped him walk down the hall.

They hobbled along like an old couple, one would never know their age from a glance as they went. The only sound their shuffling feet and the clink of the cane. Draco was still in shock, but a functioning one. He was not dwelling on escape more so on small memories of when he was small and his Father would bring him small trinkets after he had come back from a business trip and put him on his lap to tell him about this and that. How he knew his son would be strong and rule with great power some day. Even though he was young and Voldemort was considered gone his father still spouted the way of the true pureblood. It had all been so pointless. It was now that he thought on his mother, whom he believed had merely gone along with Lucious and his views. She was captive and hidden but still alive. This brought him great relief in the back of his mind.

Hermione felt he needed space to think so she concentrated on following Mrs. Norris who kept a much slower pace then Crockshanks. The sun was waining, and the windows had gotten larger and much clearer to look out of. Through one Hermione could see a garden so she thought that they must be out of the dungeon and into the house. She was beggining to get weary but trudged on and stopped when she lost the cat. Draco looked confused at her and she shrugged her shoulders. Her gaze goes to a large statue in an alcove which looks like an old glorified relative of Draco's standing on a pile of house elf skulls.

She was slightly appalled but then she sees Mrs. Norris push her nose against an eye socket of a skull and then disappear behind the darkness of the alcove. Hermione moves forward and Draco finally asks, "What is it?" She copies the cat and jumps slightly when a hidden door behind the statue moves. "I really wish you could tell me how you are doing this all." He says quietly as he follows her down the pitch black hallway. They felt along the walls for a short while and froze when the door behind them bluntly closed. Draco could see faintly a small light a short distance away and they gravitated towards that.

Looking through they could see a dark old room with green magic lighting. There were no doors, windows or fireplaces. All there was was an familiar black thorn thrown, a tall magic green light that cast eerie shadows around the room and a bald headed figure sitting silently as if meditating. They watched him blankly, in stunned fear. Here was the bane of their existence. It was this one single man that had caused so much pain in so many lives.

The only sound came from the room was a slight buzz from the magic light and the sickening sound of an animal eating raw meat. Draco located the noise coming from Voldemorts snake who was eating a large hunk of meat in the corner. They watched this scene for a few long minutes before there is a loud crack and Greyback apparated into the room. He rushed forward like a beaten dog who still wants to please its master and knelled respectfully.

Voldemort did not open his eyes, merely flicked his hand and Fenrir stood back up. "So you have all the arrangements ready for tomorrow morning?"

Greyback nodded sharply and said, "We have the extermination rooms all prepared, it should take about twenty hours to round up, kill and dispose of the bodies of the children."

Voldemorts face gave a tiny smile. "Good."

Greybacks nose twitched at the smell of Nagini's meat and Voldemort flicked his wrist and a table with a large platter of raw meat appeared. Greyback barely nodded his thanks before jumping in.

Hermione felt her stomach turn, in part because that may have been her he was eating and because she was so hungry right now that she would have been happy to eat some raw meat.

"Any word on Potter's where abouts?" Greyback paused between bits to say, "No and it seems the spy that you sent to find him has not reported back in a day."

At this Voldemort's eyes snapped open and he turned to look at Nagini, his eyes flashing in rage. "We need him back here then. If Snape cannot preform his job properly then we will have to send someone else."

He pulled back the sleeve of his black cloak and touched the ornate dark mark on his arm. Whispering hisses were all that the two hidden companions could decipher before there was a rush of black ash and Snape uncurled to stand tall. "Yes, my Lord? I was just following up on a lead."

Voldemort stood up and spat out. "You are supposed to report everyday. We need that boy found and killed. All of my plans will be ruined if we cannot find and destroy him."

He settled down again and then said slightly wearily. "Now you said you had a lead. Give me your report."

"It was a very delicate lead and I fear disappearing so suddenly in the middle of the interrogation may have cause them to forget. I do deeply apologise for not reporting in and I will make do with what I have."

Voldemort sat blank faced and waited.

"The person whom I was interrogating is very close to Potter. They are one of his very best friends. A young man by the name of Ron Weasley. His father is in the ministry, but I was lucky enough to catch him sneaking around Knockturn alley." Hermione had tensed up and grabbed Draco's arm painfully. He could only think what devious means that the feared potions master had taken on the poor boy. He had loathed Potter and his friends since the very first, he only hoped for Hermione's sake at least that he had fared better then them.

"I was about two hours into our pleasant little discussion when he started mentioning something called The Order of the Phoenix." Snape looked slightly confused and Voldemort hissed and leaned far forward in his chair. "What did he say precisely? Tell me everything he said." Hermione gulped but was slightly confused, Ron could not know more then her. She was almost sure that there was nothing besides names of the members that he could have given away. That could be dangerous but he could not reveal their plans or where Grimmauld Place was.

Snape sniffed as if this was distasteful to speak of and then continued. "He was saying something about a new spell that they had developed. A tracking spell that they had just created that could be placed on anyone to find them."

Voldemort barked out a contorted laugh, "If we could use that then we could not only find Potter but all the filth bloods. There would be no one who could ever hide from us. I want you to find out how to use this spell and report back immediately."

Snape raised an eyebrow and said, "I could go back but the boy already told me how and I tested it out."

Voldemort positively rythed with evil glee. "Well did it work? Can we use it?"

Snape looked bored and glanced at his watch. "The test should finish in roughly seven seconds time."

Hermione unconsciously began counting in her head. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Her heart skipped a beat, but nothing happened.

Voldemort began to lunge out of his chair angrily when a small noise broke the silence. It started out very muffled and was like someone was simply turning the volume up on an heated conversation. It took a few moments before Hermione recognized the voice and grasped Draco's arm painfully tight because of a dispensing of blue smoke there stood Harry and Dumbledore facing each other and in the middle of Harry's last sentence of "..and I will do anything to find them...", he turned and regarded the room with a look of slight surprise but then shook it off and jumped into dueling stance, while Voldemort laughed and clapped.

"Severus! That was a very welcomed trick. Now I don't need to wait for anyone else to take care of these troubles, I can do it myself." Nagini lifted her head, tongue flickering out and then slinked over to lay at her masters feet.

Dumbledore swung to face Voldemort slowly, his eyes taking in the whole room and lingered on the tapestry for more then a few seconds, but it could have been their imagination. He placed a wizened on Harry's shoulder and he looked even more determined. It happened in almost the blink of an eye, Harry and Dumbledore both fired off a shot at Voldemort who grunted then laughed. "You think that is enough? I am the one to defeat that spell, you should know that by now Potter." Greyback was watching this unfold with a hungry look in his eyes even though he had just finished off a large plate of flesh. They both fired off another killing curse and Voldemort merely flicked his wand and Dumbledore was knocked backwards but quickly stood again. This time Hermione and Draco watched as three shots were fired at Voldemort who's face changed from laughing to a grimace. Snape still stood there looking bored, and Voldemort cast a vicious green spell at him but he evaded it. "Traitor!" He spat with grand loathing. Greyback took this opportunity to leave with a pop.

It was then that Draco stood up, he had an idea that might buy them some more time but it would mean giving away their position. He smiled a sad smile put a soft hand on Hermiones back and before she could do anything swiftly ran out of their hiding space with his fathers cane with a bellow. Voldemort looked taken aback and then smiled as Draco raced towards him. "Destroy me with wood and metal? I Think not."Draco watched as Harry took a step back. He did not have his guard up as Draco swung aggressively at Naginis head. He had enough force to crush the large snakes skull. Voldemort grabbed his chest as if if hurt and that was when he was hit with five killing curses at once. Hermione had stepped out of the hiding place, and there was an ethereal air rustling her hair and clothes as if her body could not contain the magic inside.

She had fired off not one but two killing curses one from each hand. It was at that moment that Dumbledore, Harry and Snape all chose to fire off another round of killing curses that rang through the air with a feeling of finality. He was knocked back by the force and began to convulse and shutter. Green light began to sift away from his body and black smoke that seem to suck the light out of the air began to flow into his eyes, mouth and nose and that's when he began to scream. It was so loud that everyone covered their ears, and then there was an explosion of white light.

Draco was thrown backwards into Hermione and when she awoke hazily she saw Harry standing over her looking nauseated. She knew he was talking to her but she could not hear him. She managed to say, "Harry we are okay now...please get everyone else...follow Mrs. Norris...and Draco's mum..." She faded out again as Harry shouted her name frantically. Snape stepped forward and said, "Harry you are not done yet she cast the Othello spell on you you must go find the others, I will take these two back to the school. We can spare no time." He looked directly into his eyes and Harry seem to draw strength from his conviction and rushed away with Dumbledore.

Snape levitated their bodies and was gone with a whirlwind of dust.


	21. A Starless Sky

Fresh clean light was what awoke Draco. He opened his eyes and just stared at the stone ceiling, while motes of dust fell like tiny snowflakes. Thought was slow coming and all he knew was that he was warm and the bed felt soft. Draco was slightly in awe and it felt good just to be alive. He smiled and tried to sit up and that is when the ache hit him.

Grunting he realized that a large part of him was bruised and his joints creaked.

"Oh good you are finally awake." Madame Pomfree said with a large sad smile.

"Am I?" Draco said, his voice cracking.

"Now don't try to speak yet, I am still trying to get more fluid in you." She bustled about and gave him a cup of liquid, saying, "Drink and then more rest. You are not up for much more right now."

Draco swallowed thickly at the room temperature syrup that tasted like tree sap. Coughing slightly and painfully, Draco asked, "Is everyone alright? I..I..."

Pomfree stood beside him and smoothed his hair from his forehead. "Yes, well not everyone. All the students are doing well. They were scared but unharmed. The Aurors had a time of rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. They are still after them as we speak. You, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professor Snape, finally freed us from Voldemort. Things will be very busy for you very soon but for now, you have this room all to yourself. Now get some rest and I'll be back in a few hours with some more medication."

"Wait!" Draco exclaimed, coughing again. "Where is Hermione?"

"Oh, yes well she is in another private room, the same as you here. Do you want me to give her a message when she wakes again? Would that put you at ease?"

Draco schlumped back on the bed and thought. Pomfree was about to leave when he said, " Tell her...Tell her thank you for being the brightest witch in a century." He said with a smiling yawn. Pomfree nobbed and left and Draco went into a peaceful sleep.

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Days wore on and Draco regained his strength. There were interviews to do and awards to be held up for pictures. The season wained and fall came on slowly. His stay in the hospital wing had been short and he had been moved to stay in Professor Snape's private quarters. A few Slytherins had visited him, wided eyed and full of naive questions about his capture. He had thought that the article in the Daily Prophet would have explained all they needed to know about what had happened but their curiosity was heavy.

His estate was being thoroughly examined by the Ministry but that did not bother him at all. "Let them take what they want. Its no use to me." He had said late one night to Severus who had not questioned him any further. His Godfather had been wonderful support since he had come back. With his Father being gone they estate needed someone to attend it and not surprising to Draco, Severus knew a lot of attending to a large estate. It turns out that he had been slowly selling off his own and managing it quiet well for years now.

Narcissa was found very soon after all the students had been rescued. Draco was horrified to find out that an unknown curse had been put on her to prevent her from talking about anything that may have incriminated her husband. When he was finally able to see her, he read her look as saying that she was just happy that he was alive. Professor Snape left them alone while they embraced and cried. Leaving little out, Draco proceeded to tell her what had happened, and even though it hurt he felt better for it afterwords.

She was to stay with Draco in the Professors quarters until he was fully recovered. They would then go back to the Malfoy estate, and Draco would take the first semester off before coming back to take up his apprenticeship. He wanted so badly to get rid of her curse. It kept him awake at nights. Another thing that kept him awake was Hermione.

They had seen little of each other since leaving the hospital quarters. He had visited her before moving to the dungeons and she had smiled at him brilliantly. He held back a laugh as he saw the deformed hat on her head. She was sitting upright in her hospital bed with knitting needles working fast. Winking out a silent spell a chair moved over to beside the bed and Draco sat down awkwardly. Hermione put away her needles and opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out.

Draco studied his finger nails and cleared his throat.

In taking a breath they both started to speak at once. She laughed nervously and said, "Oh, um after you..."

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "Ladies first."

"Alright, " Disappointment flashed across her face before she said. "I hear you mother is alright. I am so glad."

"Yes, they have her at St. Mungo's. I will be able to see her in a couple of days. She ahh...she has been cursed."

Hermiones eyes widened in surprise. "Even though Fath...Lucious is gone, he is still hurting her."

"If you don't mind me asking what is wrong with her? Will she be alright?" She leaned forward to get a better look at him.

"Yes," He smiled ruefully. "She is tougher then anyone gives her credit for. Umm, the curse is on her vocal cords. She can't speak. Unable to tell Lucius's secrets or some rot like that." He frowned, thinking.

"You have been able to see your parents right?"

She nodded. "They thought it was great to see the school. I did ask Dumbledore to keep a lot of what happened from them though. I...I don't think I could put them through that. Its bad enough they know I was kidnapped let alone what happened to us there."

He nodded.

"So are you ready for the Order of Merlin ceremony? Getting thrown to the proverbial wolves, so to speak?"

She signed and put her pillow over her face. "Dumbledore has done wonders at keeping the reporters away, but I have been told that its a open ceremony."

He smirked. "Well if you need someone to keep those nasty rag reporters off of you I can always help."

She laughed and said, "I doubt you can make a difference considering you are even more of interest to them then I am."

He ran his fingers through his hair nervously, and he was about to comment on her hat when the door opened and Harry and Ron walked in smiling. The smiles were dropped when they noticed that Draco was there.

Draco stood abruptly and turned to Hermione to say, "I will be off then." He stiffly walked to the door and Harry held out an arm to stop him.

"Malfoy, I..." Draco looked up eyes hard and was blown away when he saw Harry's hand outstretched.

Harry managed a smile while Ron looked vaguely annoyed. Draco felt deja vu kicking him in the head. He quirked an eyebrow and Harry was starting to look anxious.

Ron let out a huff and walked around Harry and roughly grabbed Dracos hand and shoke it roughly once. Then he grabbed Draco's hand and forced it into Harry's where he said, "I still think you are a right prat but Harry here wanted to..." Ron looked to upset to continue and Harry finished. "I wanted to say Thank you. For distracting Voldemort and for keeping Hermione safe." Ron at this point walked over to Hermione in her bed and gave her a tight hug and proceeded to start talking about his twin brothers and a prank involving sarcastic muffins and fizzing blueberries.

Shaking his head Draco went to let go of Harry hand and said, "Alright. I appreciate that Potter. Whats up with him? Never mind, I don't want to know."

Harry laughed. "Besides the normal, he keeps mumbling something about you tricking Hermione. Care to shed any light on that? I honestly have no idea what he is talking about but I'm sure if you had done anything to harm her you would probably be missing teeth."

"You wish Potter." Draco glared. "No I have no idea what has Weasly's panties in a twist, but I have to go." He went to walk out the door but then turned back. "Good luck with the paparazzi next week Scarhead."

Harry through up his hands in defeat and Draco could hear him mumbling something about always getting the last word as he walked away.

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Draco looked at himself in the mirror. His robes had been sent over from some famous designer in France. He looked flawless. Perfect skin, hair and even his posture was perfect. The mirror whistled at him as he turned around to check out his back. He turned red, frowned and furiously brushed his hands through his hair. He did not want to look too much like his father today. Perfect was no longer the point anymore. His mother knocked on the door and he went to her. She smiled at him so proudly and his breath hitched in his throat. He had to clear his mind not to start crying and he felt a familiar ache behind his temples. Stress can do that to you he thought ruefully.

Relief was what he had felt when Dumbledore told him that the ceremony was to be held in the school, which successfully barred all but a handful of specially chosen reporters and photographers from the premises. There was outrage from the wizarding media but the decision was made too close to the actual time of the event that there was no time to change it. All the students were able to attend and it was to be held in the banquet hall.

Draco studied the medal now hanging from around his neck. It had been specially designed for them. It bore the Hogwarts crest and he was almost certain that it was enchanted with a cheering charm even though he could not sense a magical signature. He mentioned it quietly to his mother and she shook her head frowning.

There was a party afterwords in a transfigured part of the castle. It was a good rest from the relentless questions from the few reporters who had come. He was tired of trying to fend off questions about why Hermione had been placed in the same room as him. Answers of "Can we really understand the mind of a mad man?" and "Maybe Lucious was trying to save on space." were starting to sound robotic as opposed to the real answer of "It was the best way to hurt me, I could take the pain but I did not want to see her be hurt." Things felt very weird since coming back between them.

Whenever he had seen her she was all smiles and laughter around everyone but sometimes he caught her staring off with a haunted look in her eyes. Although they were fully healed there were some hurts that may never heal. Greyback had yet to have been caught but when it had been mentioned a plethora of people went to reassure her that they would make sure she was safe from him. Draco knew it was not the threat of them ever coming in contact again that was what to worry about right now.

Nightmares. They occurred every night and he was sure they did for her also. Their conversations had been stilted, full of cheerful banter and intentional ignorance. The night wore on and Draco was beginning to wonder if Hermione was avoiding him. He had seen her go by arm in arm with Ron to dance. She looked lovely in her champagne colored dress. Draco felt that familiar ache in behind his eyes and mentally called it off as being from the reporters.

Feeling bored with standing around and hearing condolences and getting asked to dance, Draco stood to get some fresh air and his mother nodded as he left. Outside the fall air was cold. It was slightly unpleasant but Draco did not care. The sky was dark with no stars shining out. He watched with slight amusement as a tipsy Hagrid tried to make it across the grounds to his hut with the assistance of Madame Maxime.

"Draco." He whipped around startled to see Hermione standing behind him. Embarrassed he put his had on his chest and breathed loudly.

"Bugger! Hermione you scared me..I mean..." He stood up tall and tried to play if off casually. Hermione smiled and apologized and he waved it off and turned to lean against the balcony railing.

She came up beside him and his heart skipped a beat.

"So, how has your night gone?" Hermione said as she copied his posture.

"Wonderful and you?"

"Its alright I guess, I would never tell them but it was a little insensitive for them to hold a ball. Considering what happened at the last one."

He waved it off. "Pretenses. And I don't begrudge them, anyone who was not captured thinks a little differently. Seriously I had some third year Ravenclaw at that ask if they had feed us sprouts the entire time. As if that was the worst thing they could think of."

Hermione cracked a smile and Draco looked away quickly as he tried to hide his blush.

"Well in the least Ron and Harry try to understand. I hate reliving it, but they keep asking and then beating themselves up about it. I just need to tell them to give me and them time. I don't feel like it was anyone's fault but Riddles."

Nodding Draco added, " Even I don't have the ego to put all the blame on myself. You sure have some friends there."

"They can yours too...maybe..."Hermione sounded somewhat doubtful and Draco laughed. "Don't worry about it. Right now I have what I need. Mother is coping well, Sev...I mean Professor Snape is been like a Father and you..."

Hermione cleared her throat and held out a sloppily wrapped parcel. "I was in a rush so I hope you like it. Sorry about the wrapping."

Draco blinked slowly at the gift. He opened it slowly. Inside was a very long, black and grey striped scarf. Hermione gushed.

"I have enchanted it with a few spells. One to ward off colds and chill, another for water and flame resistance, and a secret pocket for your wand." She demonstrated and then said, "I know that my knitting skills are not perfect but I tried ah yeah."

Hermione looked studiously out over the darkened landscape. Draco felt the woolly fabric under his thumb. "I...I really like it. Thank you." She smiled a bright smile and he felt a little giddy.

"So I should go back inside, I think Ron is waiting." Draco's smile fell down a notch.

"Yes go off with that twit..."Hermione failed to catch the rest of what he had said because it had faded off into grumbles.

She snapped, "He has been really worried with all that has happened, I am just trying to make him feel better."

"Oh yes run off to your little friends, they need all the taking care of that they can get."

"Yes they do, we all do." He turned his back on her.

Hermione looked taken aback. "Draco why are you being like this? Like before..."

"Like what? Speaking my mind? Since when is that against the law." Draco sneered.

"So that's it, right? Back to the way things were? Is that all that you can do now?" Hermione said frustrated.

Draco could not look her in the eye and instead looked transfixed at his gift. "Yeah I guess so." He whispered.

He glanced up to see the look on her face and his chest hurt slightly. Her eyes looked more sad then they had then entire time he had known her. Through all the pain, and all the awful things he had done to her before now, at this moment she looked purely heart broken.

He watched as a tear slipped down her cheek and she turned to leave. A humming arose in his ears and he could feel his pulse slow and a great feeling filled up his chest.

Unconsciously he took a step forward and said, "Wait."

Hermione stopped but did not turn around.

"Hermione I..." Draco angrily gathered what little courage he had. "I need you, too."

Hermione turned to look at him with tears still in her eyes. She quickly closed the space between them and enveloped him in a tight hug which he returned. That was all she had wanted, all that she had ever needed.

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Authors note

Its been years...since I was eight teen and I am twenty three now. When I started this story it was ambitious for me, I was very passionate about it and I was also lonely at the time. I was away at school, did not have much of a social life and I used to go to my school and read fan fictions to late in the night. I know I was sad then but I also loved it. It was then that I decided to write because I wanted to make something that I would want to read. I have learned a lot writing this. Like for instance, fighting is hard for me to write, and that I have issues focusing on people other then the main couple which I hope to change. This will be my official note that sometime in the future I will be going back and beefing up the first ten chapters or so. They were all really short and I believe I could add more to the story and make it more interesting because its a slow starter.

I also want to say that my plot bunny for this story does not end here. Greyback is still out there, there is Narcissa's curse and lots of angst. You can finish the story here and everything would be fine, but I did not add a lot of romance because I like a lot of angst first and so the next story will feature everyone a few years older and back at Hogwarts. If there are still readers out there suggestions are wonderful. I will attempt to write a summary here just to get a taste for it.

"What would you do if everything you cared about caused you pain? Hermione is starting her first year as the new Charms teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and her future seems bright. The war has left an impression on everyone but only one person could know how deep that was on Hermione. Everything seems alright, until a visitor from the past brings Hermiones carefully constructed life to a halt. Will Hogwarts new Potions Master be able to help Hermione or will his own demons tear them apart forever?"

Meh...I hope that will do. Anyways I will go now to upload this chapter and reread all my old ones to see where the problems lie...I know I wrote something about Hermiones feet turning blue and every time I think of it it makes me cringe...so tacky! Anyways its been fun. The more responses I get the more I will want to write part two so please be kind and type a few words of encouragement! Later Days!


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